A wave of bomb threats across the country has been described as a hoax, but one former FBI agent told First Coast News the point might not have been to set bombs off, but rather to see how American cities react to terror threats.
Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties all had reports of bomb threats Thursday, as did Nassau, Baker, Union and Columbia counties.
No bombs were found, but former FBI agent Ron Wirth says that doesn't mean the threats are harmless.
Cryptic emails were sent and buildings were evacuated as bomb threats were sent out to businesses in 21 states and Washington D.C.
Whoever sent the emails claimed to have agents nearby that would set the bombs off unless business owners paid up in Bitcoin, a digital currency.
The whole thing is being written off as an extortion hoax, but Wirth says the money might never have been the point at all
"They're probing. They’re trying to figure out a way to make it successful," Wirth told First Coast News.
The FBI is investigating who sent the emails and why, but Wirth says sometimes, foreign nationals use seemingly empty threats to see how cities respond, how quickly buildings are evacuated, and if some places disregard threats entirely.
"It’s very easy to be testing this to see if it will work later on," Wirth said.
In January, First coast News reported the University of North Florida, Florida State University and the University of Florida all received similar emails demanding bitcoin payments, or face an onslaught of pipe bombs and gunmen on campus.
UNF Police Chief Francis Mackesy said the school never paid and the violence never happened, but the threat alone put students on alert.
"Now, at the push of a button, some idiot with a computer can touch dozens and dozens and dozens of individuals," Mackesy said.
Wirth says just because a threat seems harmless, looks familiar, or is written off as a scam, the threat should always be taken seriously.
"You always want to report it because there's always a chance that there’s going to be a longball hitter in there someplace, and there’s going to be a bomb and it’s going to go off,” Wirth said.