A 27-year-old man was arrested Sunday after authorities said he disrupted a church service in Miami by falsely claiming to have a bomb.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Isaac Lopez was attending services at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, in the 7900 block of SW 88th St., when a witness confronted him about a backpack.
Deputies said Lopez responded by saying, “It’s a bomb,” and repeated the claim when handing over the bag.
Loud alarm reported inside church
The sheriff’s office said a loud, high-pitched alarm resembling a countdown was later heard during the service, further disrupting the congregation.
Lopez allegedly retrieved a phone emitting the sound, placed it in his backpack and returned to the service, according to the arrest report.
Once the service ended, Lopez yelled “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is great” in Arabic, alarming patrons, according to the report. The report also stated Lopez is known to the church and they provided his full name and phone number.
Lopez was later located at a nearby address and taken into custody without incident.
Lopez was charged with making a false report about a bomb, a felony, and disturbing a religious assembly, a misdemeanor, the sheriff’s office said.
