Italian tourist nabbed for bomb joke

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – An Italian tourist was arrested at the Kalibo airport on Wednesday for joking that he was carrying a bomb in his bag.

Cristiano de Angeles, 40, was about to board an Air Asia flight to Busan, South Korea after a vacation in Boracay when the incident occurred.

“The check-in agent asked him what are the contents of his check-in baggage. He replied it was a bomb,” said Senior Inspector Xamiel Meraña, Kalibo airport police chief.

De Angeles is being held at the Kalibo airport police station. Air Asia said it is filing charges against the tourist for violation of Presidential Decree 1727 or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law and the Civil Aviation Security Act. 

 Senior Superintendent Lope Manlapaz, Aklan police chief, reminded the public to avoid bomb jokes, saying they would enforce the law in the interest of public safety.