Pastor Charged after Calling Bible a 'Bomb' at Airport

    Oct. 21, 2004
    Pastor says he was just kidding, FBI misses humor, arrests man

    Source AP Alert - Florida

    AP Alert -- Florida via NewsEdge Corporation : NASHVILLE, Tenn._A Seventh-day Adventist pastor from central Florida says he was "just kidding" when he told airport security he had a bomb, reached into his luggage and pulled out a Bible, declaring, "This is my bomb."

    Jose L. Gonzalez, a citizen of Spain who is living in Deltona, Fla., was arrested and charged Sunday with making a false statement.

    The incident occurred as security screeners at the Nashville International Airport were searching his carry-on bag.

    Gonzalez, a passenger on an Orlando, Fla.-bound Delta flight, had already raised suspicion when screeners found a laptop computer that he said at first he didn't have.

    An investigation determined that Gonzalez did not pose a threat, but the FBI still arrested and charged him with making the statement.

    "Upon being questioned by airport security officers about the above episode, Gonzalez admitted having said that he had a bomb," a federal criminal complaint states, "but insisted that he was just kidding.

    "He claimed he had used the term 'bomb' as a way of referring to the Bible as having the ability to change one's life," the complaint states. "He admitted that it had been stupid and that he had not intended any harm."

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Cliff Knowles presided over Gonzalez's initial court appearance Tuesday and advised him that, if convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Hester did not ask Knowles to keep Gonzalez in custody pending his trial, citing "the rather unique facts of this case."

    And Gonzalez's public defender, David Baker, asked if the defendant could continue his work-related travel in Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas and Virginia on behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist's General Conference, which oversees its worldwide operations.

    Knowles agreed, as long as Gonzalez gets prior travel approval from U.S probation officers.

    Gonzalez was released on a $10,000 unsecured bail, meaning that he would be liable for that amount if he misses a court date.

    Gonzalez had little to say at the brief court hearing, and although he speaks English, he relied on an interpreter throughout the proceedings.