13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Greenwood teen in trouble over alleged threat to plane

Greenwood teen in trouble over alleged threat to plane

Emily Longnecker/Eyewitness News

Greenwood - A teenager could face federal charges after investigators say he made online threats to kill Americans on a plane from Indianapolis to Chicago.

According to investigators, a monitor of the online interactive game World of Warcraft saw the alleged threats in an on-line chat and called Johnson County authorities. She told investigators the chatter didn't seem like a game.

A report from the Johnson County Sheriffs Department says an 18-year-old Greenwood man was threatening to blow up an airplane taking off from Indianapolis and headed to Chicago Monday morning.

A report from the Sheriff's Department says deputies found five teens at a home in Greenwood. The report says the teen who lived there told deputies someone had hacked into his computer and made threats. But deputies say the teen eventually confessed to the threats when asked what investigators would find if they examined his computer.
    
According to the report, the teen told investigators he'd heard if you make threats online against a plane, the police would show up at your doorstep. The teen told investigators he was only testing that theory. That test could have the teen facing federal charges.

Johnson County police turned the case over to the FBI.

"To communicate a threat online is a violation of federal law and does require a response by law enforcement authorities to determine the veracity of the threat," said FBI spokesperson Drew Northern. "The investigation is still ongoing to determine whether or not the threat was serious and what the intent of the threat was."

 The FBI will turn the case over to the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District of Indiana to determine if any federal charges will be filed. 
     Blizzard Entertainment...the game's creators would only say they are supporting police and the FBI with their investigation.