Alabama Man Pleaded Guilty to Bangor Airport Bomb Hoax

Robert Tyler Wicks admitted to making false bomb threats against Bangor International Airport in early 2025.

Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Terrorism

Alabama Man Pleaded Guilty to Bangor Airport Bomb Hoax

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Robert Tyler Wicks, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to making false bomb threats against Bangor International Airport. The hoax involved threats sent via text and phone calls on February 13 and 14, 2025.

Why it matters

The threats disrupted airport operations and triggered a federal investigation by the FBI, which tracked the calls to Alabama. The incident highlights the vulnerabilities created when personal information is leveraged for malicious security hoaxes.

Wicks faces a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. He entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Bangor on September 25, 2026.

The players

Robert Tyler Wicks

He is a 25-year-old Alabama resident who orchestrated bomb threats against a Maine airport.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

This is the primary federal law enforcement agency that investigated and traced the digital threats to Alabama.

Bangor International Airport

This is the regional aviation hub in Maine that was targeted by the hoax threats in February 2025.

American Airlines

This is the major air carrier whose employees were contacted by the defendant during the commission of the crime.

The details

Wicks utilized a mobile application to disguise his telephone number while sending threats to American Airlines employees and the Bangor International Airport switchboard. He obtained staff contact information through an online relationship with an employee and used video chat to monitor law enforcement responses during the event.

February 13-14, 2025: Wicks made bomb threats to the airport.
September 25, 2026: Wicks entered a guilty plea.

Legal Context

This plea follows a pattern of federal enforcement actions taken under 18 U.S. Code Section 844(e) to prosecute malicious bomb hoaxes against critical infrastructure. Such prosecutions serve to deter the use of digital anonymization tools for terrorizing public transportation hubs.

The investigation confirms that law enforcement successfully traced the digital hoax back to the source, providing closure regarding the safety of airport operations. Residents and travelers in Bangor can rely on established federal investigative protocols to mitigate risks from remote security threats.

The takeaway

This case demonstrates that digital masking via mobile applications does not protect perpetrators from federal identification and prosecution. Authorities emphasize that false threats against critical infrastructure carry significant criminal consequences regardless of the location of the suspect.