Man Arrested For Bomb Threat At SXSW Festival In Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident." </s> Man Arrested for Bomb Threat at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident." </s> Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident." </s> A man was arrested Saturday night in connection with a bomb threat during SXSW.

Trevor Ingram, 26, was picked up by Austin police after allegedly e-mailing a bomb threat to a venue hosting a SXSW concert with The Roots and Ludacris. Budlight decided to cancel the show due to safety concerns.

“Due to a security concern, we have made the hard decision to cancel tonight’s event,” a rep for Bud Light shared via the company’s Twitter account. “Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority.”

‘The Roots & Friends’ SXSW was set to feature Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Dermont Kennedy and Tank and the Bangas as well as the aforementioned Ludacris. The location, Fair Market, has prided itself on being able to transform into a “dive bar” type feel for concert-attendees and badge holders.

The news of the bomb threat comes less than a week after two men were killed by package bombs in Austin. Ingram has been charged with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony.

This Is The 17-Year-Old Honor Roll Student Was Killed In Austin </s> AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police have ruled out a man charged with making an SXSW bomb threat as a suspect in a string of recent deadly bombings in East Austin that began March 2.

“We do not believe he is involved in the string of package bombs,” Interim Police Chief Brian Manley said Sunday. “We looked into him and we are not thinking he is involved in this.”

Police on Saturday night arrested Trevor Weldon Ingram, 26, and charged him with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Manley said investigators have looked into Ingram’s threat and his background, but he declined to say other steps they have taken to rule him out.

“We have run him through the investigative process,” Manley said.

Police say the Fair Market in East Austin received a bomb threat at 4:23 p.m. Saturday, forcing the cancellation of an SXSW show by the Roots. Officers then checked the area but found nothing suspicious, officials said.

“In the interest of safety, (promoter) Bud Light made the decision to cancel the event,” according to a news release from the city of Austin early Sunday morning.

Ingram’s sister, Brittany Ingram, declined to comment Sunday morning on her brother’s arrest, but told the American-Statesman that he is not responsible for three recent bombing attacks in Austin that killed two people and left a third with serious injuries.

The emailed threat comes as authorities investigate three package bombings at homes in the last few weeks.

On March 2, 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House was seriously injured after a package at his home in Northeast Austin detonated. He later died in the hospital. Police at the time said it was an isolated incident and there was no danger to the public.

But that changed on March 12, when police responded to two more package bombings in East Austin. In the first bombing that day, Draylen Mason, 17, was killed, and his mother suffered injuries. A second attack at another home sent a woman in her 70s to the hospital with serious injuries. </s> Philadelphia hip-hop legends The Roots canceled a Saturday night performance at Austin's annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival due to a "security concern" that was later confirmed to have been a bomb threat.

Authorities in Austin arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with a threat that came prior to the start of the "Bud Light x The Roots & Friends Jam," scheduled for the final day of the week-long tech and culture festival.

Police said they received a report of a bomb threat from a Live Nation Music representative who had been warned of the alleged plot in an email. Trevor Weldon Ingram, now charged with a felony count of making terroristic threats, claimed there was a bomb at the festival's Fair Market venue.

Responding officers conducted a check of the area and determined that there were no threats present at the festival.

"Due to a security concern, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam," an Anheuser-Busch representative said in a statement. "After working proactively with SXSW, the Austin Police Department, and other authorities, Bud Light believes this is the best course of action to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and artists, and appreciate your understanding. We are truly sorry to have to cancel the event, but we felt it was necessary to take all safety precautions." Reappearing for a third year, the show was set to include performances by Ludacris, Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Dermot Kennedy and Tank and the Bangas. "The safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority," the statement from Anheuser-Busch continued. The Roots drummer and DJ Questlove reminded fans that he will still be in Austin for a separate performance Sunday afternoon. </s> AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas capital was on edge Monday after a spate of package bombings left two Austin residents dead and two others badly wounded.

The latest victim was a 75-year-old woman who was listed as critical but stable with "life threatening injuries" after a package she found outside her home exploded in her arms, Police Chief Brian Manley said Monday afternoon.

The woman was hurt just hours after a 17-year-old boy was killed and another woman was injured by another deadly delivery, Manley said.

Both cases bear "similarities" to the death of Stephan House, 39, who was killed March 2 by a package bomb that was delivered to his Austin home, Manley said.

"This again [is] the third in what we believe to be related incidents that have occurred over the past 10 days," Manley said. "They are not ringing doorbells. Residents are coming out of their homes and finding them on their doorsteps."

Manley said it was too soon to say whether the incidents were the work of a serial bomber.

"But there have been a pattern of incidents," he said. "These are powerful bombs."

So far, police haven't determined a motive, Manley said, but they aren't ruling out the possibility that they could be hate crimes. The most recent victim was Hispanic, and the other three victims were black.

"We are not ruling anything out," Manley said.

None of the dangerous packages was delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, officials said.

"If you have a package show at your home and you're not expecting one, call 911," Manley said. "The three incidences have all occurred at residences. It is important that people be aware."

That goes for the thousands of people attending South by Southwest, or SXSW, in Austin, although police said Monday afternoon that the explosions weren't believed to be related to the music, film and technology festival.

Many of the SXSW attendees interviewed by NBC News were unaware of what was happening.

Festival volunteer Kendra Shaw said she hadn't heard of the bombings or gotten any notifications from organizers.

"We don't want everyone to start freaking out," she said. "I feel like South by Southwest has done a better job over the years of handling those things."

Jessica Stratton, who was attending the festival, said she saw TV reports about the bombings. "It seemed to be a non-festival-related incident, so I instantly relaxed," she said.

SXSW ratcheted up security four years ago after a driver plowed through a barricade and mowed down festival-goers, killing four of them.

The three blasts happened in different parts of east Austin, and House's death was initially investigated as suspicious, Manley said. It's now officially a homicide, he said.

The FBI and investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting Austin police, said Special Agent Michelle Lee of the FBI's San Antonio office.

Abbruzzese reported from Austin. Siemaszko reported from New York City. </s> Event organizers were forced to cancel the Roots’ set at SXSW on Saturday night following a reported bomb threat. The show’s main sponsor, Bud Light, along with SXSW confirmed the cancellation on Twitter while apologizing to fans for the bad news.

Saturday’s cancellation was only the latest news related to bombings in the area; Austin was the site of three package explosions that occurred in a 10-day span, starting on March 2.

CNN reported that “the bombs killed a 39-year-old African-American man on March 2, killed a 17-year-old African-American male early Monday morning, and severely injured a 75-year-old Hispanic woman midday Monday.” Authorities told CNN they believed the explosions were related and possibly hate crimes.

In a now deleted tweet, Roots drummer Questlove said about the incident, “Welp. It’s 2018. Show cancelled. These are the times we now live in.” Though his statement was deleted, 9th Wonder–who was also backstage before the cancelled performance–spoke his piece on the matter, posting a photo of Trevor Ingram, the 26-year-old police arrested for issuing terroristic threats. </s> A third explosion in which a package exploded at a residence appears to be connected to two other explosions in Austin, Texas, city Police Chief Brian Manley said Monday at a news conference. A 75-year-old woman was critically injured Monday and a 17-year-old male was injured in an earlier Monday blast. A March 2 blast killed a 39-year-old man.

Both packages were not delivered via any mail services and both homes are those of African Americans. A 17-year-old boy died Monday and a woman was transported with non-life-threatening injuries. Another male died from his injuries in the March 2 explosion.

Authorities are looking into whether the incidents could be hate crimes, but as of now there is no evidence the victims were targeted because of their race, says the official.

“This type of crime will not be tolerated” in Austin, Police Chief Brian Manley said.

Both cases are now being investigated as homicides, Manley said during a news conference Monday.

Police were responding to another “reported explosion” Monday afternoon, but have not yet said whether it is connected to this investigation. Manley strongly urged residents in a tweet to be on the lookout for suspicious packages and to alert authorities immediately.

“If you’ve received a package that has been left on your doorstep or left in your yard or left on your driveway that you were not expecting or that was not from someone you know, then give us a call,” Manley said.

Local police, as well as agencies including the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are working on the case.

The ATF is currently processing evidence from the first device at their lab and evidence from the second device will also be sent to ATF lab for consistency.

Authorities have not conclusively linked the first and second device.

The annual South by Southwest Interactive Festival began Friday in downtown Austin and ends Tuesday. The explosions are not in the immediate vicinity of the festival.
A man is arrested in Austin, Texas, for threatening, via email, to bomb the SXSW festival.