U.S. federal authorities have charged a young man with making a false threat against professional football stadiums in seven U.S. cities.
Officials say the 20-year-old suspect will appear in court later Friday. He is alleged to be connected to an Internet hoax threatening "dirty bomb" attacks on those stadiums. A "dirty bomb" is an explosive device combined with radioactive material.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security warned National Football League officials in the seven cities about the threat, but also expressed doubts about its credibility. Thursday, federal investigators announced the threat turned out to be a hoax.
A message posted recently on a web site mentioned stadiums in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
