A man accused of broadcasting a prank bomb threat at the University of Washington faced a judge Friday.
Jammal Harraz told police it was all part of a "live streaming video prank," but it triggered an evacuation and a lot of tense moments.
About 30 people were attending an end-of-the-year reception in Savery Hall Thursday when they say Harraz walked in with a phone in his hand, clearly recording video. They say Harraz played a recorded message which said a bomb was fully charged, and then the message began to tick and count down.
People ran out of the building and several nearby buildings were evacuated. But they say he hung around, live streaming people’s reactions. He was eventually arrested by UW police.
"I remember being up by the windows and at the moment -- you don’t know did he threw something in the other room?" said UW graduate student Connor Gilroy.
"After going back and watching all of that video that he made, I’m not sure that he knew any more than we did what was going to play over those speakers,” added Ian Kennedy, another graduate student who was at the reception.
Harraz calls himself "Arab Andy" and he has nearly 7,000 subscribers on YouTube. He posts videos on YouTube and Twitter of himself playing pranks on others. His followers pay him and tell him what to say.
Professor Stephen Groening was in Savery Hall at the time of the prank and tried to explain why this may have happened.
“Young people in particular, are absorbing the lessons of entrepreneurship, branding and the attention economy," he said. "They start thinking of themselves as entrepreneurs in their own biographical life as something to be marketed and sold to others -- but that also means they’re competing with others for attention.”
In court Friday, a judge set bail at $75,000 and set the stipulation that Harraz can't post any more videos on YouTube while he awaits trial.
Harraz has lived in Western Washington for over 20 years and that weighed in favor of his release on bail. He's due back in court on June 5.
