GREENFIELD — Officials with the FBI in New Mexico say a Greenfield man has been arrested and charged with making threats on an airplane last fall.
Keith Diemer, 35, Greenfield, sent false messages to fellow airline passengers using an Apple Air Drop system on Oct. 2, 2022, officials say.
According to reports, New Mexico authorities say Diemer was arrested Monday morning in connection to an October investigation. Officials with the Greenfield Police Department tell the Daily Reporter they assisted with the arrest at the GPD and that Diemer surrendered peacefully to Indianapolis FBI members without incident.
According to the indictment, on October 2, 2022, Diemer sent false messages to fellow passengers on a commercial airline flight using the Apple Air Drop system. The messages warned passengers that he was going to blow up the plane and that there was a bomb on the plane. Diemer’s false threats forced the plane to use emergency protocols to land, officials said in the report.
According to another report, American Airlines flight 928 was evacuated as part of the investigation. The flight originated in Dallas, Texas, and was scheduled to land in Albuquerque.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and the FBI announced Diemer was arrested on a charge involving false information and hoaxes. If convicted, Diemer faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the federal charges.
An indictment is only an allegation, officials stated in the press release and noted a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated this case, officials said while assistant United States Attorney Anderson Hatfield is prosecuting the case.
