A woman aboard an Amtrak train in Durham set off a scare Tuesday evening after allegedly making statements that she would blow up the train with a bomb. Police searched the train after it pulled into the station but found no explosive device and no credible threat of danger.
According to WRAL, Durham police responded to the Amtrak station on West Main Street after the train arrived around 8:45 p.m. Officers said an adult female was making statements to blow the train up with a bomb, prompting the response at the station.
No Explosives Found After Search
Despite the alarming statements, police ultimately determined that no bombs or credible threats of danger were found aboard the train.
Because formal charging details have not been released, it remains unclear how prosecutors plan to pursue the case or what specific statute the woman may be accused of violating. Similar incidents elsewhere have drawn federal scrutiny: in a 2018 case detailed by the U.S. Department of Justice, a New York man was charged with calling in a false bomb threat from an Amtrak train. In that announcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt, and that a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt — a standard that applies just as much to the Durham case as any other.
A Pattern Of Hoax Threats On The Rail Line
Amtrak bomb hoaxes are not unheard of nationally. In a separate case out of North Carolina, federal investigators said a person identified as Simpson made repeated claims that a bomb was on board a train, with Special Agents from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General ultimately determining the threats had come from Simpson, according to the Justice Department's eastern North Carolina office. That case, like the 2018 New York matter, is a distinct incident and does not establish what charges or penalties the Durham woman might face.
For now, the key facts in Durham remain limited to what police and WRAL have confirmed: a woman made statements about detonating a bomb on the train, officers responded to the West Main Street station after the train's arrival, and a search turned up nothing dangerous. No further details about her identity, any court appearance, or the specific charges have been made public.
