Reza Baluchi was spotted in a “manifestly unsafe” vessel, which resembled a hamster wheel, around 70 miles from the east coast of the United States. He refused to come off and had threatened to blow himself up, in what turned out to be a hoax.
According to court documents, the USCG judged the makeshift boat was “manifestly unsafe” and kept afloat by buoys and wiring.
His voyage began just days before Hurricane Franklin – a category four storm at its peak – hit parts of the Caribbean and moved towards the US.
But Mr Baluchi refused to step off the vessel for three days until officers managed to safely extract him and bring him back to shore two days later, court papers state.
“Baluchi informed the USCG officers that he had a Florida registration on board his vessel, but he was unable to locate it,” court documents state.
“He also advised USCG officers his intended destination was London, England.”
Mr Baluchi showed officers he was armed with two 12in knives – the size of a 30cm ruler – and would attempt to kill himself if they tried to remove him, the documents add.
Officers remained on the scene and on the next day, 27 August, Mr Baluchi allegedly threatened to “blow himself up”.
This morning, the #FCSO responded to a call about a vessel washing ashore in the Hammock area.
Thank you to the concerned citizens who reported this. We are happy to announce that the occupant of the vessel is safe with no injuries! #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/zlenQd1tX7
— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) July 24, 2021
