Chicago Man Pleads Not Guilty in Disney Cruise Bomb Threat Case
Investigators say the December 6 call was traced to Smith’s cellphone after a caller claimed a bomb was aboard a cruise ship traveling from The Bahamas.
A federal grand jury in Orlando indicted Daquan Lamont Smith, a 20-year-old Chicago resident, over an alleged December 2025 bomb threat involving Disney Cruise Line, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Sept. 8, 2026. Smith pleaded not guilty the following day to interstate transmission of a threat and faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
The Dec. 6 call claimed the caller was aboard a cruise ship traveling from The Bahamas with a bomb. The indictment does not identify a vessel, and no evacuation or operational disruption was announced when the alleged threat occurred.
Court filings say investigators traced the call to Smith’s cellphone. The indictment quotes him as saying, “I have a bomb on the boat, and I want to blow it up,” after claiming the ship had departed two days earlier.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. attorneys in the Orlando division will prosecute it. Under 18 U.S.C. § 875, covered non-extortion threats to kidnap or injure must involve a communication transmitted in interstate or foreign commerce.
Defense challenges venue and FBI interview
Prosecutors say Smith was physically in Chicago when the call was placed. His attorney has asked the court to dismiss the Orlando case and move it to Illinois.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office initially investigated the incident. In February, a detective notified the FBI that the local agency could not prosecute because the alleged offense occurred outside its jurisdiction.
Smith and his mother later spoke with FBI agents after authorities identified him as the caller. According to a court-filed account of the interview, Smith said he had received unwanted calls throughout the day and called Disney Cruise Line because it was the most recent number that had contacted him. He said he acted out of frustration and did not intend to harm the cruise line or anyone aboard its ships.
The defense is seeking to suppress Smith’s statements, arguing that the interview was not recorded and that agents did not advise him of his Miranda rights. Disney Cruise Line referred questions about the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and did not provide a separate comment.
Earlier threats caused cruise disruptions
Carnival Sunrise faced an emailed threat in January 2024 after the 2,984-passenger ship departed PortMiami. The vessel diverted to Jamaica, where its roughly 1,000 staterooms were searched with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and Jamaican Marine Police. No bomb was found, and Joshua Darrell Lowe II was later convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison.
An unspecified threat at the Port of San Diego on March 30, 2026, delayed debarkation from Disney Wonder while authorities searched the terminal, which reopened about two hours later. A March 2025 threat at PortMiami disrupted traffic and port activity for several hours while five cruise ships were alongside; authorities found no credible danger.
Smith was arrested in Illinois in July and released on bond. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. A federal judge has not ruled on the venue or suppression motions, and Smith’s next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.
