Shopping center bomb-threat caller sentenced to prison
Harju County Court sentenced a woman to prison on Tuesday who had called in a bomb threat on Kristiine Shopping Centre in Tallinn in May.
The court found Irina Manafova, 37, guilty of aggravated breach of public order by use of violence and threat with an explosive substance or explosive device, an offense punishable by up two five years' imprisonment, and sentenced her to one year and six months in prison, of which she will in reality have to serve five months and 15 days, court spokesperson Kristina Ots told ERR's online news portal.
According to the charges pressed against her, on May 26, Manafova called the emergency call center at 8:33 p.m. and stated that in 45 minutes, 600 grams of TNT would detonate in Kristiine Shopping Centre.
Police and rescue workers evacuated approximately 400 shoppers from the shopping center and a bomb squad searched the premises, however no threatening objects were found.
At 9:30 p.m., Manafova called the emergency call center again and asked the operator if Kristiine Shopping Centre had already blown up, after which she identified herself as an Islamic mujahid and confirmed that it was she who had previously reported the presence of a bomb in the Tallinn shopping center.
Manafova then swore to the operator that she would begin destroying everyone one by one, using a number of vulgar expressions as she spoke.
Police detained the culprit that same night on the corner of Tehnika and Saturni Streets, directly across the street from Kristiine Shopping Centre, where she was sitting on a stool and threatening passing cars with a toy rifle resembling an AK-47.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla