S. Lane Tucker, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office District of Alaska
A man was apprehended on March 6 in Flagstaff, Arizona, following an indictment by a federal grand jury in Alaska. The indictment, returned in December 2024, charges the individual with making six bomb threats aimed at locations in Alaska during 2023.
Court documents reveal that on October 17, 2023, Christopher Gilbert, aged 33, allegedly used a phone to issue bomb threats targeting Ted Stevens International Airport and Fairview Elementary School in Anchorage, as well as Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue. Later, on December 8, 2023, Gilbert reportedly made similar threats against Ted Stevens International Airport again and two additional schools: O'Malley Elementary School in Anchorage and Harborview Elementary School in Juneau.
The documents claim that during these calls, Gilbert demanded the evacuation of a hospital and claimed bombs were placed at a school and on an airplane. On one occasion, it is alleged that these threats were made as retaliation when a family member refused his request for money.
Gilbert faces six counts of making bomb threats via interstate commerce. He appeared initially before a U.S. Magistrate Judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and will be transferred to Alaska. If convicted, he could face up to ten years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Taylor is leading the prosecution with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
