Here’s a story we missed from earlier this week: Via the Boston Globe, D.C. taxicab driver Ermiyas A. Asfaw was arraigned on Monday in Boston on charges of joking that he was a member of Al Qaeda and that he planned to “blow things up” at Logan International Airport.

Asfaw was checking in for a flight on AirTran on Saturday night when an agent asked him why he had stickers on his luggage from Dubai. He told the agent he had been there, and when they asked him whether he was there on business or pleasure, Asfaw responded: “No. I’m Al Qaeda. I’m with them, and I’m here to blow things up.”

It’s pretty clearly a joke, but it wasn’t funny to airport authorities, who quickly called State Police and had Asfaw arrested. Asfaw pleaded not guilty to making a bomb threat and was held on $1500 bail.

Asfaw is a UDC graduate with no criminal record. He was in Boston visiting his girlfriend.

Image from the Globe