Authorities arrest man accused of threatening mass casualty event at Army-Navy football game
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A man accused of threatening a “mass casualty event” at a college football game last year is in federal custody in Arizona and awaiting extradition to Rhode Island, according to federal authorities.
Andrew Buchanan, 38, is accused of calling the threats in by cell phone before the Army-Navy game on Dec. 8 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI reported receiving a tip that Buchanan allegedly told a family member they would see him on the news and there would be a mass casualty event at Gillette Stadium.
The Army-Navy game was played without incident in front of more than 65,000 football fans and authorities were able to track the call.
Buchanan also is accused of making threats to shoot up the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island a few days after the football game. A student admissions employee reported that call.
Prosecutors said Buchanan is facing one felony count of interstate threatening communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Buchanan — a former resident of Burrillville, Rhode Island — was arrested on July 31 in Tucson, Arizona where authorities said he was homeless.
Court documents show that after his arrest, Buchanan waived a subsequent hearing in federal court in Tucson and a judge ordered his return to Rhode Island to face charges in U.S. District Court in Providence.
Federal authorities said Tuesday that the extradition will be handled by the U.S. Marshals Service, but there’s no specific timetable.
Calls to the Marshals Service and to the public defender representing Buchanan seeking comment on the case weren’t immediately returned Tuesday.