Authorities arrest man accused of threatening mass casualty event at Army-Navy football game

TUCSON, Arizona — A man accused of making a “mass casualty” threat during a college football game last year is in federal custody in Arizona and awaiting extradition to Rhode Island, federal authorities said.

Andrew Buchanan, 38, is accused of making the threats via cell phone before the Army-Navy game on Dec. 8 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

According to a criminal complaint, the FBI said it received a tip that Buchanan told a family member they saw him on the news and that a mass-casualty event was going to take place at Gillette Stadium.

The match between the army and the navy passed off without incident and attracted more than 65,000 football fans. Authorities were able to trace the phone calls.

Buchanan is also accused of making threats to shoot up the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, a few days after the football game. A student registrar reported the call.

Prosecutors say Buchanan is charged with interstate threatening communications, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Buchanan, a former resident of Burrillville, Rhode Island, was arrested in Tucson, Arizona, on July 31. Authorities said he was homeless.

Court documents show that after his arrest, Buchanan waived a hearing in federal court in Tucson and a judge ordered him to return to Rhode Island to face charges in U.S. District Court in Providence.

Federal authorities said Tuesday that the extradition will be handled by the U.S. Marshals Service, but there was no specific schedule.

Calls to the Marshals Service and to the public defender representing Buchanan seeking comment on the case were not immediately returned Tuesday.