2023-09-08 17:07:02
A man who wanted to cross the Atlantic aboard a strange craft described as a giant hamster wheel saw his dreams of an odyssey shattered by the US Coast Guard, according to court documents and US media.
While preparing to face Hurricane Franklin in late August, the Coast Guard spotted the vessel and its passenger off Tybee Island, Georgia, in the eastern United States.
Reza Baluchi explained to them that he intended to sail more than 6,000 kilometers to go to London aboard his boat, “homemade” using buoys and cables, according to the complaint filed in early September by the federal authorities. against the person concerned.
The coastguard judged that he had undertaken “a manifestly dangerous journey” and asked Baluchi to get off his floating wheel and into their own boat.
Alas, Baluchi refused the invitation, threatening to commit suicide by brandishing a knife and then blowing himself up with explosives. It was only three days later that he agreed to leave his machine, described by local media as a “giant hamster wheel”. He later admitted to authorities that his bomb did not exist.
Reza Baluchi is not his first attempt. According to the complaint, he indeed attempted the same type of exploit in 2014, 2016 and 2021, each time being rescued by the Coast Guard.
This time, he is being prosecuted for refusing to comply, among other things.
1694198980
#wanted #cross #Atlantic #hamster #wheel