Alleged member of Al-Qaida plans to blow up Boston Airport

A 27-year-old man who claimed that he was a member of al-Qaida is accused of threating to blow up Boston's Logan International Airport.

Photo: Alleged member of Al-Qaida plans to blow up Boston Airport

Ermiyas Asfaw, a native of Ethiopia who lives in Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty in East Boston District Court to a charge of making a false communication of an explosive device. Bail was set at $1,500 (1,054 EUR).

State police say Asfaw was in the process of checking in for a flight Saturday night when he told an AirTran employee that he had explosives.

Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella says Asfaw said, "I'm with al-Qaida. I'm with them and I'm here to blow up things." Asfaw later told authorities he was only joking.

Prosecutors said Asfaw made the statements after becoming irritated when an airline employee asked him about a tag on his luggage that indicated he had been to Dubai of the United Arab Emirates.

Asfaw's attorney, Francis HcHugh, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.