Bomb hoaxer pleads guilty following investigation

A 24-year-old from Cornwall has pleaded guilty to making a string of hoax bomb threats in Britain, the US, and Canada – causing major disruption to schools, colleges, the Palace of Westminster, police stations and even the Super Bowl.

Andreas Dowling appeared at Bristol Crown Court on 7 November and admitted 31 charges relating to 107 offences dating back to 2014. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on 2 December.

Dowling was caught following an international investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing in the South West, who teamed up with the FBI and officers in Michigan. In total, 75 schools and colleges across London, the West Midlands, Devon, Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, and West Yorkshire fell victim to the hoaxes in January and February 2016.

However, the investigation between the different agencies uncovered many earlier offences committed by Dowling in the US.

Dowling was a member of a small online group which claimed responsibility for a campaign of bomb threats across the world in 2016, causing substantial disruption to the education of tens of thousands of pupils and sparking major policing responses in the affected areas.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, Senior National Coordinator for Pursue, said: “When Counter Terrorism Policing colleagues in the South West began investigating back in 2016, they were dealing with a constant stream of calls to schools and colleges that were causing serious disruption and distress to parents, teachers and pupils. These hoaxes had a significant psychological impact on those affected and resulted in long and complex investigations which required significant resources from the many law enforcement agencies involved in both the UK and United States of America.

“I hope this will serve as notice to anyone who considers such acts in the future that no matter how long it takes, or how far we have to travel to gather evidence, we will find you. You may think that technology will protect you but it will also help us track you down. I want to thank all those who were affected for their support in bringing Dowling to justice and I particularly want to thank our colleagues in the US for working so diligently with us to put an end to Dowling’s activities.”

An FBI spokeswoman added:  “The FBI is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with our international law enforcement partners in the United Kingdom on this case. Although these bomb threats were determined to be hoaxes, no threat is taken lightly. Each incident is treated as a real event, which drains law enforcement resources that could be utilised for real investigations and emergency response matters, not to mention the unnecessary pain it causes the victim targets.

“This case demonstrates just how crucial international cooperation and coordination is today as crimes such as this, using technology to help inflict fear and anxiety upon others, are truly borderless. The FBI shares this commitment to justice and keeping our citizens safe through these valuable foreign partnerships and look forward to working together again in the future.”