United States

Man Heads to Jail for Hacking Neighbor's Internet, Posting Bomb Threat

A Pennsylvania man faces 18 months in prison for hacking into his neighbor’s internet and using it to send a bomb threat to a local mall.

David Barnhouse, 24, hacked into his neighbor’s FiOS service and posted a message threatening to detonate explosives at the Willow Grove Park Mall unless U.S. Officials could meet his lavish expectations.

“We have planted an explosive device somewhere in the mall, and will detonate it unless all members of the Islamic faith imprisoned in the United States are freed by 7 p.m. on June 23,” Barnhouse wrote. “Even if you search the mall for 72 consecutive hours, you will NEVER find it.”

After receiving the threat on June 20, 2013, the mall contacted officials and paid for increased security. The FBI traced the threat to Barnhouse’s neighbor and conducted a search on the home before eventually learning of the hack.

Along with 18 months in prison, Barnhouse will be under supervised release and will be expected to pay back security costs to the mall, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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