Threat at MSP ends with arrest in Rochester

A bizarre series of events Wednesday started at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and ended with streets in Rochester shut down because of a possible bomb threat.  

The incident began early Wednesday morning when a man drove up to Terminal One at MSP saying he had explosives and then drove off.

“He had pulled up to the terminal up there, and said something about explosives or that he might have explosives, and then sped away from the terminal,” said Sgt. John Turk, of the Rochester Police Department.

After leaving the airport, the suspect was pulled over in Apple Valley on I-35 E and Highway 77, but fled after the officer got his driver’s license.

The suspect appeared in Rochester around 11:15 a.m. after police were called because the man was acting lewd.

“The dispatch center indicted to the officers that there was an alert on the vehicle,” Turk said.

After a short chase, the suspect surrendered at Crossroads Shopping Center.

“And that’s when the dog indicated there was something potentially suspicious in the vehicle,” Turk said.

The St. Paul Bomb Squad checked out the car with a robot and officer in protective gear, but found no explosives.

“They had an item that was in the back laptop bag that they pulled out, looked at it, x-rayed, cleared it, and one of their bomb technicians went up an cleared the vehicle.”

The FBI questioned the man, and are investigating along with Rochester Police and Airport Police. Investigators believe the man might have mental health problems.