A 50-year-old man accused of threatening to put a bomb in Linn Park, and also threatening Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, has been federally indicted.

The Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced the indictment against Brian Stephen Vest. He is charged in a one-count indictment issued Tuesday charging the Warrior man with engaging in conduct with the intent to convey false and misleading information regarding the use of a weapon of mass destruction, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

According to the indictment, Vest falsely reported that he had placed a bomb by a statue in Birmingham’s Linn Park on June 1, 2020.

Vest was arrested on state charges of making a terrorist threat in June after authorities say he threated the mayor and threatened to set off a bomb in Birmingham’s Link Park. His case in state court is awaiting grand jury action.

Vest’s arrest at his Warrior home took place during the week of unrest in Birmingham following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Authorities contend Vest is the man who called in a threat to 911, a call that began with these words: “Hey man if you take down that statue in Linn Park… I’m going to come down there with my AK-47 and start blowing the damn pigs away, and the protesters, everybody. I’m going to assassinate n***** Randall Woodfin.”

He continued, “You think I’m playing? You’ll find out, you’ll be all over the news, punk ass. You hear me? I’m coming down there right now with my automatic weapon and I’ll blow your f****** heads off, assholes. You hear me?”

“F*** off asshole, I’ll hang you from a tree, n*****,” when the 911 operator asks what car he will be driving.

“That Mayor Randall Woodfin will be dead before light, before morning…. I’m going to start blowing peoples f****** heads off down there.”

“I got a bomb set right by that statue, it’s about to go off, you hear me? You hear me punk ass?”

“You better lay off that statue right now. You better back the f*** up, you hear me? Say something coward. I’m going to blow that damn n***** mayor’s head off, you hear me?”

“It’s none of your f****** business what my name is, asshole,” when the operator asks his name. “Go f*** yourself moron… people going to die tonight.”

“I’m going down with my AK-47. I’m on the way right now, punk.”

“You can all kiss my ass and go to hell. Go f*** yourself, asshole.”

Following the threatening call to 911 – which lasted one minute and 40 seconds – City Hall was put on lockdown and Birmingham police showed up en masse. The lockdown was in effect by about 5:15 p.m. and Vest was in custody within less than two hours.

If convicted federally, Vest faces a maximum of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The FBI, the Birmingham Police Department, and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office worked jointly investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Cornelius is prosecuting the case.

Vest has remained in the Jefferson County Jail on $100,000 bond since his June 3, 2020 arrest.