Man Who Threatened to Blow Up Miami Airport Given 2 Years

MIAMI, FL — A man who threatened to blow up Miami International Airport while biting one federal agent and striking another with a trashcan lid in October was sentenced on Tuesday to more than two years in prison. Thirty-three-year-old Nivaldo Emilio Lopez was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to serve three years of supervised release. Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal employees.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg and Special Agent in Charge Mark Selby of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Director Field Operations Diane J. Sabatino of Customs and Border Protection and Federal Security Director Miami International Airport Daniel Ronan of the Transportation Security Administration.

The incident occurred on Oct. 25, 2017 when Lopez left his vehicle curbside at Terminal D and entered the airport, according to federal prosecutors.

"Once inside, Lopez began walking back and forth between checkpoints, waving his arms in the air and yelling loudly," prosecutors said. "Lopez also made statements to the effect that he was going to blow up the airport."

A passenger noticed Lopez' strange behavior and alerted officials.

A Customs and Border Protection officer was attempting to "deescalate the situation" when Lopez became more aggressive and began yelling at the officer, according to prosecutors.

"The officer put his baton at his side, at which point Lopez attacked the officer," prosecutors said. "The defendant struck the CBP officer in the head and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, Lopez bit the CBP officer’s hand, causing injuries that required medical attention at a local hospital."

A TSA officer came to help during the struggle but was also assaulted.

"Lopez, however, continued to be aggressive and struck the TSA officer in the face with a trashcan lid," prosecutors explained. "Miami-Dade Police Department officers responded to the scene and used a taser to finally subdue the defendant."

Lopez was also ordered to pay $9,172 in restitution as part of his sentence.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano