Terrorism Expert: Busby Got 'A Kick' Out Of Pitt Threats
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - According to the criminal complaint, 64-year old Adam Stuart Busby got angry when the chancellor at Pitt called initial bomb threats scrawled on the walls in men's and women's restrooms , student pranks.
That's when Busby took action, allegedly e-mailing 40 false bomb threats at campus buildings during the spring semester.
Former FBI agent and terrorism expert Larry Likar said Busby is a known cyber terrorist and saw an opportunity to cause further havoc.
"He's a criminal. He did it because for him, it's a kick, an opportunity and he basically wanted to screw with the system," Likar said.
Busby was indicted by the federal government for e-mailing hoax bomb threats to the University of Pittsburgh along with federal courthouses in Pittsburgh, Erie and Johnstown between March 30 and April 21.
Busby allegedly sent e-mails that caused 126 evacuations of Pitt buildings, which also included dormitories.
"He doesn't have the capability, the resources to do anything actually major. He's actually showing I can get a big result. He's telling us it's possible to get a big result without really having resources, without really having a lot of skills," Likar said.
Although he considers Busby a small-time terrorist, Likar warned the Pitt case should be studied closely. He believes the government should devote more resources towards interdiction and prevention to ward off future threats from cyber criminals.
"There are other people out there who have seen this now. They understand the model and it doesn't take a lot brains to think about you know, 'I can do this.' And that is scary," Likar said.
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