Man arrested after attempting to run from Florida to London in a makeshift hamster wheel

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A Florida man who tried to run throughout the Atlantic Ocean to London utilizing a makeshift hamster wheel has been arrested.

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Reza Baluchi, 44, was noticed about 70 miles off Georgia by the US Coast Guard (USCG) - and allegedly claimed he wished to maintain going all the way in which to the UK on 26 August.

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According to courtroom paperwork, the USCG judged the makeshift boat was "manifestly unsafe" and stored afloat by buoys and wiring.

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His voyage started simply days earlier than Hurricane Franklin - a class 4 storm at its peak - hit components of the Caribbean and moved in the direction of the US.

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But Mr Baluchi refused to step off the vessel for 3 days till officers managed to securely extract him and produce him again to shore two days later, courtroom papers state.

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"Baluchi informed the USCG officers that he had a Florida registration on board his vessel, but he was unable to locate it," courtroom paperwork state.

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"He also advised USCG officers his intended destination was London, England."

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Mr Baluchi confirmed officers he was armed with two 12in knives - the scale of a 30cm ruler - and would try to kill himself in the event that they tried to take away him, the paperwork add.

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Officers remained on the scene and on the subsequent day, 27 August, Mr Baluchi allegedly threatened to "blow himself up".

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The USCG mentioned they "believed this to be a valid threat" in keeping with the paperwork, as he held wires in his hand.

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This prompted officers to name in bomb disposal consultants, earlier than he admitted the risk was a hoax on 28 August, shortly after officers tried to ship meals and water.

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"USCG officers believed this to be a valid threat, as they observed Baluchi holding wires in his hand," the courtroom papers state.

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"USCG officers contacted the US Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit at Kings Bay, Georgia to determine blast and fragmentation radius of the alleged bomb."

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The paperwork added: "USCG officers again ordered Baluchi off the vessel, but he again refused. It was then that Baluchi informed the USCG officers that the bomb was not real."

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On 29 August, officers introduced Mr Baluchi off the vessel and right into a small boat and took him ashore on 1 September.

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This marked the top of Mr Baluchi's newest run-in with the coast guard, the papers allege, with earlier incidents involving an analogous selfmade vessel in 2014, 2016 and 2021.

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