Thomas Brienza, of Centereach, facing terrorism charge after making airport bomb threat in South Carolina, report states
Thomas Brienza, of Centereach, was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction for an act of terrorism, a police report states. Credit: Charleston County Detention Center
A Centereach man who allegedly told police at South Carolina’s Charleston International Airport that he had a bomb and a gun was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction for an act of terrorism, a police incident report shows.
Thomas Brienza, 20, didn’t actually have a bomb or a gun when he was arrested by airport police on Aug. 24, the report said. He allegedly recorded the exchange with police with a camera in his glasses so he could post it on his TikTok account.
Brienza, who calls himself "Thom the Troll" and has 300,000 followers on TikTok, regularly posts videos showing him harassing police officers, fast-food workers, store employees and other people, officials said.
He approached three officers in the ticketing area of the airport and told them he "didn’t want any problems but he had a bomb and a strap [gun]" on his person, the incident report said. Brienza also told police there was fentanyl in his car parked outside the terminal.
Brienza was immediately arrested, according to the report, which said officers did not find any weapons or drugs on him. Brienza told police he was visiting friends in nearby West Columbia, and that he and his friends were at the airport to drop off a friend.
"Mr. Brienza appeared to be nervous and mumbling his words," the report said. He later told police he did not realize the severity of the airport prank.
Brienza was taken to the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston and was released the next day after posting $100,000 bond.
Brienza could not be reached for comment, and it was not clear if he had hired an attorney. Charleston County Aviation Authority police notified the FBI about the incident, the report said.
Two of Brienza’s friends were waiting for him in a Honda Accord parked outside the terminal, the report said. Police searched the Honda but did not find drugs or weapons in the car.
"He has never done anything this stupid," one of the friends told officers, the report states.
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