Police: Self-described ‘next Osama’ made more than 100 threats via 911

Crime » Man allegedly made 106 calls to 911 and once threatened to “kill all Americans.”

By Bob Mims

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Mar 08 2013 10:21 am • Last Updated Mar 12 2013 11:05 pm

Salt Lake City police say a 27-year-old man from Somalia apparently just doesn’t like them.

There’s no crime in that. There is, however, in purportedly making more than 100 calls — over just two days — to the 911 emergency number to threaten officers’ lives.

Mohamud M. Ismail was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with threat of terrorism and emergency reporting abuse weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he could serve one to 15 years in prison for each count.

Salt Lake City police Detective Veronica Montoya said Ismail’s threats were made to police officers in general, not specific individuals. Still, authorities concerned about the volume and nature of the calls decided enough was enough.

"We were able to get a warrant based on the number he was calling from, and officers went to his home and arrested him," Montoya said.

Ismail was tracked down via telephone records to an apartment in Salt Lake City near 700 South and 300 East and, after initially refusing to answer the door, was taken into custody on Friday.

According to a probable-cause statement, Ismail made a total of 106 calls to 911 between March 6 and 7. Police say he called himself the "second Osama bin Laden" and claimed to be manufacturing explosives.

Court records indicate Ismail has previously made verbal threats via 911 and at one point was ordered by the court to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. In May 2012, he was sentenced to a year’s probation after a no-contest plea to a class A misdemeanor count of attempted threat of terrorism.

That charge stemmed from a February 2011 threat to a 911 dispatcher to "bomb and kill all Americans," 3rd District Court documents state.

This time, Ismail was booked into Salt Lake County jail.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims

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