Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation's Return Delayed over Bomb Scare

A bomb scare blamed on a passenger who had been drinking caused a five-hour delay in Sunday's return to Port Canaveral for the Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation, authorities said.

Photo: Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation's Return Delayed over Bomb Scare

No bomb was found and Brevard County deputies arrested a Virginia man accused of starting the scare.

The ship was on its way back from Nassau, Bahamas, early Sunday when witnesses heard the "highly intoxicated" passenger say that "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson, Orlando Sentinel reported.

According to Reuters, the ship carried 3,470 passengers and crew and was headed back to Port Canaveral after a three-day cruise to the Bahamas when a passenger reported hearing another passenger make a bomb threat, the Coast Guard said.

The man was quoted as saying, "We are jihad. Come to the top deck and watch the bomb. The bomb is going to blow," Evanson said, adding that the Coast Guard was told that the man was "highly intoxicated."

Jihad is the Arabic word for "struggle," though it is sometimes used to describe an Islamic holy war.

The threat turned out to be an empty one, but it led authorities to handcuff a 31-year-old Virginia man identified as Ibrahim Khalil Zarou.

Passengers heard Zarou repeatedly state the following: "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," the newspaper reported citing the U.S. Coast Guard.

Zarou was held Sunday night charged with falsely threatening to detonate a bomb and bail has been set at $10,000.

Passengers were finally allowed to disembark at 11 a.m., CBS4 reported.