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Woman arrested for bomb threat at Miami International Airport

After crashing into police cruiser, woman yells that she has a bomb

MIAMI – A woman ran her silver Toyota into a police cruiser at Miami International Airport Thursday afternoon as she attempted to crash through the glass doors, police said.

After the crash, Julissa Magdalena Maradiaga-Iscoa, 33, yelled in Arabic and Spanish, police said. She shouted that she had a bomb. 

The crash was on the second floor of the terminal, under the U.S. Airways sign at Concourse D. Miami-Dade County police officers pulled her out of the car and held her at gunpoint, as a police dog sniffed around for explosives.

"Accident on upper, departures level of Miami airport," an airport official said on Twitter, adding that travelers were urged to use the lower arrivals level.

The bomb squad responded quickly to the threat. They did not find a bomb in the car or strapped to her body, Miami-Dade police said. Maradiaga-Iscoa was arrested and was being questioned.

She told detectives that she heard voices that told her to go to the airport, police said.

Maradiaga-Iscoa, a Honduran citizen, was turned over to the FBI to face federal charges. Officials said her initial appearance was expected to be Friday in federal court in Miami.

"At this time there appears to be no nexus to terrorism," the FBI said in a statement.

The ramp leading to the Departures lanes was closed from about 4 to 5:30 p.m. Officers re-routed traffic through the parking garage.

About 6:18 p.m., MIA spokesman Greg Chin said in an e-mail that "the vehicle involved in the accident has been removed."

Local 10 News' Andrea Torres and Amanda Batchelor contributed to this story.

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10

Follow Local 10 News reporter on Twitter @GlennaOn10

Follow Local 10 News reporter on Twitter @PerezLocal10


About the Authors
Glenna Milberg headshot

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."

Andrew Perez headshot

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.

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