An American young man, angered by his girlfriend going on vacation with her family, made a fake bomb threat to a cruise ship. The young man, tracked down by the FBI, received an 8-month prison sentence.

Joshua Lowe, a 19-year-old living in Michigan, resorted to an unbelievable tactic when he got upset about his girlfriend taking a trip to the Caribbean with her family. Feeling left behind to take care of the pets, Lowe claimed in an email sent to Carnival Corp that there might be a bomb on the ship. After the email starting with the words “Hey, I think someone might have placed a bomb on your Sunrise cruise ship,” the ship authorities went into alarm. The Sunrise passenger vessel, which set sail from Miami in January 2024 heading to Jamaica, had to turn back to port. According to prosecutors, over a thousand rooms on the ship were searched due to bomb suspicion. Following an investigation, FBI agents traced the threat email back to Lowe. In his statement, he confessed to getting upset about his family leaving him at home for vacation and therefore making such a threat. U.S. Assistant Prosecutor Nils Kessler said, “Anyone making bomb threats should know that their words will be taken seriously. Thankfully, this incident did not result in physical harm.” Joshua Lowe, who appeared in court on Monday, was sentenced to 8 months in prison for the crime of making a fake bomb threat. The legal penalty for this crime can carry up to 5 years in prison.

“THREATS OF BOMBS ARE NEVER A JOKE” During the trial, Lowe stated, “All of these are my fault and I take full responsibility.” U.S. Prosecutor Mark Totten commented on the matter, saying, “We take all forms of mass violence threats seriously. Such frauds endanger public safety and waste resources.” Special Agent Cheyvoryea Gibson from the FBI’s Michigan Office stated, “Threats of bombs are never a joke. Such behavior is extremely reckless and leads to serious consequences.”