The Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport closed for about two and a half hours on the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, amid a series of hoax bomb threats targeting the Virgin Islands and at least three other British overseas territories.
But the problem didn’t end there.
Another anonymous message reportedly sent to a VI news outlet on Monday, May 6, took credit for the previous threats and called for the release of four American tourists who were recently charged with possession of ammunition in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Since then, however, VI police have remained mum: They didn’t publicly announce the second message, and they haven’t responded to the Beacon‘s request for more information about it.
First threat
In a press release about the first threat, VI police said the ordeal began when they learned shortly after 4 p.m. May 5 about a “potential bomb threat” emailed to Advance Marketing and Professional Services, the parent company of Virgin Islands New Online.
The message claimed that a bomb was present “on an aircraft and at the terminal building,” according to a police press release issued on Monday.
“In response, [police] and airport security promptly evacuated the premises and conducted a thorough search of all areas,” the release stated.
During that search, no explosive devices were discovered, and police speculated that the messages “were likely intended to create chaos and disrupt airport operations” to inconvenience passengers and staff.
“After two and a half hours, the all-clear was issued, and normal operations resumed,” police added.
Though VINO did not disclose the full contents of the initial threat it received, the news site reported that the email “was clear about a bomb threat to the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, giving the flight number, the type of bomb, where it would be placed and the alleged time of the explosion, and what the bomb was made from.”
In the days surrounding the VI incident, airports also closed briefly in Bermuda, Anguilla, and the Turks and Caicos Islands after similar threats, and police said Monday they were collaborating with Bermuda and TCI police to identify the perpetrators.
But bomb threats have continued in the region, this week also affecting schools in TCI and Jamaica.
Second message
On Monday, VINO also received another email bragging about the “absolute chaos” and regional travel disruptions caused by the previous threats, VINO reported the next day.
The message also referenced four American tourists who were recently charged in the Turks and Caicos Islands after bullets were found in their luggage, according to the news outlet.
“We don’t like doing this, but this is nothing compared to what Tyler Wenrich, Ryan Watson, Bryan Hagerich, Michael Lee Evans are going through at the moment,” the email reportedly stated.
The men have claimed that the bullets were inadvertently left in the luggage after a hunting trip in the United States, but under Turks and Caicos law they face the possibility of lengthy prison sentences.
Messrs. Watson and Hagerich — who have appeared on international news programmes in recent days — also reportedly sent a statement to the Daily Mail denying any involvement in the bomb threats.
The arrests have been widely reported in US and UK media.
This article has been updated from the print version published on May 9, 2024.