Overview
- Aaron Keith Bynum, 20, was arrested Friday in Marion County and booked on first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications, with bond set at $2,500.
- The inquiry started May 9 when a gamer reported the threat to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center and sent the suspect’s username plus an in‑game recording.
- The game’s parent company identified the account owner on May 11 under subpoena, which led to a May 15 search of Bynum’s Oakland, Arkansas home and the seizure of a computer.
- Authorities say the threats referenced a potential lockdown tied to a hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship.
- Health officials report at least 11 cases and three deaths connected to the ship as of Monday, and they rate overall risk as low because person‑to‑person spread of the Andes strain is rare.