[50674] Kyiv man arrested after threatening explosion at shopping mall, claiming it was a "joke"

Kyiv man arrested after threatening explosion, claiming it was a "joke"

Kyiv police arrested a 31-year-old city resident on suspicion of making a false report about an explosive device planted in a shopping mall in the city's Dniprovskyi district. According to local news channels, the suspect approached an employee at one of the stores inside the mall and claimed that his bag contained "an explosive device that could go off at any moment," before leaving the scene, as reported by Київ Оперативний | Kyiv Operative.

Police forces and investigative units located the suspect within a few hours. Upon searching the contents of the man's bag, officers found no explosive devices. As reported by Київ Головне, the arrest was made quickly and it was determined that the report had no factual basis. Other sources, including Київ | Times and Мій Київ | Світло, noted that the suspect claimed in his defense that it was just a "joke."

The suspect now faces serious criminal charges. According to reports in Київ Сьогодні and Ми Україנה | Новини сьогодні, the police have filed a suspicion against him under Article 259 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (false report about the preparation of an explosion). If convicted, he could face up to 6 years of imprisonment.

The incident, which was also widely covered by UA Stream, highlights the zero-tolerance policy of Ukrainian authorities toward false alarms, even when presented by their perpetrators as a prank.