South by Southwest (SXSW) was disrupted after a bomb threat canceled the onstage performance of the band The Roots on Saturday, March 17.
According to reports, a 26-year-old man named Trevor Weldon Ingram sent an e-mail to Live Nation, warning them about a bomb planted at the Fair Market where the performance was scheduled to be held. The police were immediately called to check the location but found no evidence of an explosive. They ruled that "no threat was found," but Bud Light, the show's sponsor, made the decision to cancel the performance to ensure the safety of the artists and the audience.
Unfortunately, fans were not immediately told about the cancelation. An announcement was made before the show was scheduled to start and when there was already a huge crowd gathered to see The Roots perform.
Man Arrested Over SXSW Bomb Threat
The local police were able to identify and locate a suspect, request for a warrant, and made the arrest shortly after the bomb threat was made. Ingram is facing third-degree felony charges for making terroristic threats, reported Variety.
The police also assured festival-goers that there are no other security threats at the festival.
Questlove, the drummer of the band, defended the decision to cancel the concert. Ludacris, Rapsody, and SWV were also scheduled to perform.
"[N]o one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me," he tweeted. "But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat. I'm sure we will return to Austin ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for understanding."
The Roots also appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
The SXSW is a music/arts/technology festival that takes place annually in Austin, Texas. This year, the event ran from March 9 up to March 17.
It was attended by thousands of fans and hundreds of musicians, directors, screenwriters, actors, and technology personalities from all over the world.
Austin Rocked By Explosion
The bomb threat at the SXSW Saturday comes a few days after a series of explosions were reported in Austin, Texas.
Earlier this month, the city was rocked after three package bombs detonated and killed two people. On March 12, two more package bombs exploded, killing a 17-year-old and injuring two others.
Police are investigating the cases and have raised the reward to $115,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for the explosions. According to The Guardian, over 500 officers, including agents from other federal agencies, have conducted hundreds of interviews and are following up to 435 leads.
In addition, the authorities are theorizing that the first three bombings are related and could be crimes of hate, although no specific motive has been pinned down as of this writing.
