Pittsburgh Man Arrested After Threatening To Blow Up Downtown Federal Building
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A suspect has been arrested for calling in a bomb threat to the William S. Moorhead Federal Building in downtown Pittsburgh.
Police say that 60-year-old Albert Morris Jr. called 911 around 5 p.m. on Monday saying that a bomb would go off in 18 minutes.
The building was evacuated and several downtown Pittsburgh streets were closed. No devices or threats were found within the building.
Morris is also accused of threatening the Herbert Hoover building in Washington DC. Officers traced the call back to this house in the 700 block of North Lang Street in Homewood.
"Pretty soft-spoken and kind individual, so I was shocked," neighbor Demi Kolke said.
Demi Kolke lives next door to Morris. She says he is always nice to her and her daughter and believes his mental health may have played a factor.
"I have seen his ups and downs with his mental health, and it's a time where a lot of people are desperate. We're in a global pandemic," Kolke said.
According to court papers, officers went to the home and spoke with a downstairs resident who seemed confused and showed signs of "psychological issues." The police left and returned with ATF agents. Officers recognized Morris from a previous incident where he sent threatening letters to government offices.
Morris allegedly admitted to making the threats to the federal buildings. According to the criminal complaint, Morris made the call because the government "owed him money and legal rights."
"Any threat like that should be taken seriously. I just hope that who he is is also taken into account," Kolke said.
Investigators said Morris was brought to the Allegheny County Jail. He is facing charges of terroristic threats and threats to use weapons of mass destruction.
