LA JUNTA, Colo. – Prosecutors in southeastern Colorado say they won't pursue charges against an ex-convict accused of making a threat against an Amtrak train.
Authorities say further investigation revealed the man displayed no bizarre behavior or even made a threat.
Sixty-four-year-old Ojore Nuru Lutalo of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was arrested Jan. 26 in La Junta on suspicion of felony endangering public transportation.
Otero County District Attorney Rod Fouracre said Wednesday that the Amtrak steward who reported the threats to police later said she hadn't heard the alleged threatening statements herself but reported concerns voiced by other passengers.
Lutalo, a self-described anarchist, says he's relieved.
In an affidavit, police said passengers had reported hearing Lutalo saying he hadn't killed anyone yet, and that he talked about going to jail. The steward reported one passenger hearing Lutalo mention Al Qaeda, saying, "17th century tactics won't work, we have 21st century tactics."
"Once (the steward) was re-interviewed after her initial statements to police, her statements were different," Fouracre said Wednesday.
Lutalo, who is well known among prison rights activists for his time spent in solitary confinement, was returning to New Jersey after speaking at a Los Angeles book fair sponsored by the Anarchist Black Cross Federation.
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