Man sentenced for bomb hoax

The man whose threats caused the evacuation of an Amtrak train near Browning during a blizzard in February was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $310,089 in restitution.

Hussein Hassan, 24, of Minneapolis, Minn., was sentenced Aug. 23 by U.S. District Court Judge Sam Haddon in Great Falls. Hassan was also ordered to complete three years of supervised release.

Deputies from the Glacier County Sheriff's Office in Browning were called to assist in removing Hassan from the Empire Builder train on Feb. 14 about 8 p.m. Train personnel said Hassan was drunk and causing trouble.

According to U.S. attorney Michael Cotter, Hassan asked where his bag was and a deputy said he didn't leave the train with a bag. Hassan then began to laugh and said, "Damn fools, all of you."

According to the deputy, Hassan later said, "No one will survive on that train," and about the bag, "It has something very dangerous in it." When the deputy asked whether he was lying, Hassan responded, "I am Muslim, I cannot lie," adding, "We can sell our story to CNN for a large amount. I'll be famous for awhile."

A search of the train didn't turn up a bomb, but the train was delayed 11 hours as it was forced to stop between Browning and East Glacier in high winds and snow. About 140 passengers were evacuated to a nearby middle school, including six elderly people, two babies less than three months old and several passengers who could not get to their insulin medication while the train was on lock-down status. Three passengers were injured during the evacuation and treated at local hospitals.