Man who invaded TV sets is arrested for issuing bomb threats

Police in Santiago de Compostela have arrested a man who allegedly called in several dozen bomb threats at churches, cathedrals, national museums and media outlets.

The 39-year-old suspect, a resident of Madrid, turns out to be the same individual who bypassed security and walked on to the sets of three separate live television shows in one week.

Carlos Díez Fernández, a self-styled writer, warned audiences about a CIA conspiracy on every occasion.

The National Police said in a statement that the calls immediately triggered the evacuation of the sites where the bombs were allegedly placed, causing “great social alarm.” Inspections by explosives experts ruled out the presence of any devices, however.

The bomb threats and evacuations caused great social alarm

The phone calls began on March 31, and ended the day before his arrest. The buildings that had to be evacuated included Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, the Prado Museum, Santiago de Compostela cathedral, the Alhambra in Granada and the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, all major tourist attractions.

On September 24, the same man ran naked to the entrance of Madrid’s Quirón hospital shortly after Queen Sofía arrived to visit King Juan Carlos, who was recovering from surgery there. Díez Fernández pranced around, tossing cards with his own name printed on them, and screaming, “No to the CIA’s secret crimes!”