Sharp-Eared FBI Agent Nabs Suspect in Water Threat

Authorities in Kansas City, Mo., have arrested a 69-year-old man accused of phoning in threats to the municipal water supply, reports Reuters. But how they caught him is kind of remarkable: An FBI agent recognized his voice from three years ago—when he threatened to bomb the federal courthouse in KC, reports the Kansas City Star. In that case, Manuel Garcia was convicted and sentenced to 19 months in prison.

Authorities paid him a visit this week when his probation officer confirmed that he lived in the general area from which the calls had been placed. They don't think the water supply was ever in actual danger. Garcia told them he knew of two other men who were going to carry out the poisoning and wanted $10,000 to help police track them down. "The chemicals were as fictional as the conspirators in this imaginary plot," says a US attorney handling the case. (More Kansas City stories.)