DORAL, Fla. – A self-proclaimed terrorist who believed that a Colombian airline owed him $4,000 walked into its Doral office and threatened to blow up its fleet of planes, police said.
Steven Banks entered the Avianca suite Thursday afternoon and demanded that management pay him $4,000 he believed was owed to him, according to a police report.
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Banks left the office and went into a nearby bathroom, where he confronted an Avianca employee and demanded money, police said.
Confused, the employee told Banks he wasn't sure what he was talking about, so Banks said he "was going to place bombs in the Avianca airlines building and airplanes," the report said.
Banks then returned to the Avianca office, claiming to be a terrorist, police said.During an interview with detectives, Banks claimed to "have planted bombs throughout the United States and South American countries," the report said.
Banks also claimed "he was an expert in C4 explosives and has destroyed many lives," the report said.
Although he didn't confess to making threats at Avianca, police said, Banks admitted that he's been "accused of terrorism by Colombian officials."
While police were preparing the arrest paperwork, Banks tore wires out of a wall in the interview room and tried to wrap them around his neck. Investigators stopped him from hurting himself, but police said Banks then proceeded to threaten a Doral police officer.
"I will skin you alive and gut you from head to toe," Banks said, according to the report.
Banks was arrested on multiple charges, including falsely reporting a bomb or explosive and threatening a law enforcement officer.