720 ILCS 5/29D-25 – Falsely Making a Terrorist Threat
This law makes it a serious crime to lie about or fake a terrorist threat.
This Illinois law says that if someone knowingly makes a false threat about terrorism or a catastrophe, they can be charged with a serious felony crime and may have to pay for emergency response costs if they caused one.
(a) A person breaks this law if they knowingly make a false threat to commit, or make others believe someone will commit, a terrorist act or a big disaster. This includes pretending that something like a bombing or explosion is about to happen when it is not true.
(b) Sentence: The punishment for falsely making a terrorist threat is a Class 1 felony, which is a very serious crime that can lead to a long time in prison.
(c) If someone makes a false threat about a bomb at a school and they know it’s not real, the court must also order them to pay back the government for the cost of sending police, firefighters, or other emergency workers to search for the fake bomb. “Emergency response” means any situation where police officers, firefighters, State Fire Marshal workers, or ambulances have to respond.
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