PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — The passenger at the center of a daylong bomb scare on a Greyhound bus in Portsmouth, N.H., was a foreign national who was too scared to get off the bus, a person with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person said the bomb scare was sparked by another passenger who called 911 believing a non-English-speaking rider had mentioned a bomb.
The 911 call around 11:15 a.m. Thursday prompted authorities to evacuate buildings and streets and to surround the bus with a bomb squad and sharpshooters. The other 16 passengers and the driver got off safely, but the non-English-speaking man refused to leave until about 8:40 p.m.
He emerged from the bus shirtless and in camouflage pants, with his hands held high over his head. He then went to his knees before soon getting up and appearing to follow orders from police to walk away from the bus.
He was taken into custody and was being questioned, but the case is not terrorism-related, Portsmouth Police Chief David Ferland. U.S. Attorney John Kacavas said the passenger was from Africa.
The person familiar with the investigation said the passenger is unlikely to face criminal charges. No explosives were found on the bus, which began its trip in Bangor, Maine, made a scheduled stop in Portsmouth and was en route to Boston and then New York.
Every single person involved in yesterday’s “bomb scare” in Portsmouth… complete dumbass. Really, every single person. Let’s start with the guy who called in the bomb threat. Talk about an overreaction. Guy calls 911 because he thought he might have heard a man –who can’t speak English! – mention the word “bomb.” This sets off a chain reaction, which results in everyone short of the U.S. Marines and United Nations getting called in to resolve the situation. Once the police, bomb squad, and snipers arrive on the scene, it takes them 9 hours to figure out the guy can’t speak English! Sure, the authorities followed protocol to keep people safe and diffuse the situation, blah, blah, blah. But 9 fucking hours! Are you for real? And obviously, we can’t forget about “the suspect.” Why stay on the bus for so long, after everyone else got off hours ago? Baffling. The Portsmouth Bomb Scare may take the crown as our biggest Daily Dumbass yet, due to the nature of so much collective stupidity.