|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
South Carolina law enforcement officers have filed charges against a suspected illegal alien after an alleged bomb threat shut down one of the Palmetto State’s busiest thoroughfares for five hours on Thursday afternoon (January 2, 2025).
No bomb was located following an extensive search of the suspect’s vehicle – an Illinois-registered eighteen wheeler – and as we reported yesterday, the suspect is said to have told authorities he was “joking” when he made the comment.
Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi, 28, of Oak Lawn, Illinois (a Chicago suburb) was arrested following the incident and charged with breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature, conveying false information about a bomb threat and operating an unregistered vehicle. According to reporter Cody Alcorn of WXIA TV-11 (NBC – Atlanta, Georgia), Alhendi has a detainer with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – which would signify he is in the country illegally.
***
***
Alcorn was first to report on the situation – which shut down the main transportation artery linking Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. until approximately 7:40 p.m. EST. The drama was exacerbated by inaccurate reports of a chemical spill associated with the incident.
Thankfully, rumors of a hazardous materials event turned out to be false.
According to the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) – the lead agency on the investigation – at approximately 2:45 p.m. EST a female officer of the S.C. State Transport Police (SCSTP) initiated a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 in Greenville County near mile marker 44 – roughly five miles southwest of Greenville, S.C.
***
The stop was reportedly initiated due to a missing license plate on the trailer – which was registered to Globe Transportation of Palatine, Illinois.
According to SCDPS, while answered standard questions from the officer Alhendi “indicated that there was an explosive device inside the commercial vehicle.”
As we reported yesterday, assets of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) converged on the busy Upstate thoroughfare after the threat was called in.
***
**Update on I-85 Incident in Greenville**
— SCDPS (@theSCDPS) January 3, 2025
On January 2, 2025, at approximately 2:45 p.m., a SC State Transport Police officer initiated a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 in Greenville County, due to a missing license plate on the trailer.
During the traffic…
***
“All six lanes of I-85 were subsequently shut down as the threat was investigated,” SCDPS noted.
This is a developing story… please check back for updates.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
2 comments
I am glad his comments were taken seriously, especially in light of what has been happening in our country recently.
Let’s give him a one-way ticket to wherever he came from.