An Oklahoma City man has been arrested after telling his sister, “Hundreds of people are going to die in Oklahoma City, and something very large is going to happen.”
Amiremad Nayebyazdi, originally from Iran, was observed by members of the FBI joint Terrorism Task Force on Oct. 30, acting in a suspicious manner.
Nayebyazdi was taking photographs around the Oklahoma City National Memorial—the memorial erected to honor the victims of the April 19, 1995, bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people.
FBI agents noted that Nayebyazdi was taking pictures of the memorial from odd angles and from unusual areas.
The FBI contacted the Oklahoma City police, who ran the license plate of the car the photographer was driving, which led to them finding his identity—and his extensive police record.
According to KOCO, Nayebyazdi had been arrested on suspicion of possession of a dangerous controlled substance, driving under the influence, and public intoxication. Further, he had been put in protective custody in 2014 on an emergency order of detention for a mental health evaluation.
Nayebyazdi, an employee with an Oklahoma City oil company, has a degree in petroleum engineering, KOCO reported.
Incriminating Message
Police did not take any immediate action after identifying Nayebyazdi, until they received a tip from a caller in California two days later.
On Nov.1, a concerned citizen from California reported that Nayebyazdi had left an unusual message on his sister’s answering machine. His sister still lives in Iran.
The caller claimed to have received the warning from a friend in Germany who had grown up with the caller and Nayebyazdi’s sister.
Loosely translated, the message was, “Hundreds are going to die in Oklahoma City, something very large is going to happen, it will be on the news, and don’t tell mom and dad until it is seen on the news.”
Arrest, Search, and Admission
FBI agents along with members of the Oklahoma City police bomb squad, gang unit, a tactical team, and a bomb-sniffing K-9, showed up at Nayebyazdi’s apartment.
Nayebyazdi let the officers enter. The officers found no sign of explosives.
However, KOCO reported, Nayebyazdi told police that he had indeed left the message, it did threaten that hundreds would die, and that he was talking about an explosion.
However, Nayebyazdi denied setting any bombs, and claimed he did not want to hurt anybody. He added that he was supposed to be taking medication for his psychological issues, but had not been taking the prescribed medicine.
A Crisis Intervention Team officer performed a mental evaluation of Nayebyazdi, who was put into protective custody and taken to St. Anthony Hospital.
Police also obtained an arrest warrant for Nayebyazdi for threatening to kill by use of explosives.
KFOR reported that the affidavit files for the arrest warrant stated, “Nayebyazdi went on to say he ‘hears’ things and he just told her this was going to happen. He said he had not made any explosive devices.”
Statement by the Memorial
The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum posted this statement on its Facebook page:
“As you can imagine, we live and work in a heightened state of awareness and security at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, primarily because of the incident in 1995 and premise for which the Memorial and Museum were even built.
“I am very proud of our staff, NPS Rangers and the Memorial Security team for their vigilant work and for being aware of unusual circumstances and working with local law enforcement teams.
“We continue to be honored and humbled to work with OKC Police Department, state law enforcement agencies, Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI on matters that involve national security and the protection of this national treasure.
“Law Enforcement agencies showed us again the standard of their great work. The Memorial & Museum remain a very safe place to visit and is monitored by a security team 24/7.”
