Man pleads guilty for hoax bomb threat at Statue of Liberty

NEW YORK (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to making a hoax bomb threat to blow up the Statue of Liberty, causing Liberty Island to be evacuated.

Prosecutors say Harts, West Virginia, resident Jason Paul Smith called 911 in April 2015 and identified himself as Abdul Yasin, the only conspirator not captured in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

More than 3,200 people were removed by boats following the call. Prosecutors say Smith also made calls threatening to kill police officers at the Brooklyn Bridge and to bomb Times Square.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara  says the 42-year-old Smith faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty in Manhattan federal court to conveying false and misleading information and hoaxes.