What are “terrorist threats” in Nevada?

Posted on February 10, 2022

A man holding a gun and making terrorist threats at a school.

Like it sounds, a terrorist threat in Nevada under NRS 202.448 is issuing a threat concerning a terrorist act, such as a public shooting or stabbing. Note that Nevada law has a separate statute for making bomb threats: NRS 202.840. Making terrorist threats carries potentially harsher prison terms than making bomb threats.

1. What is a crime under NRS 202.448?

NRS 202.448 is the Nevada law that makes it a crime to issue a threat related to terrorism.¹

The legal definition of a “terrorist threat” is any threat concerning an act of terrorism made with the intent to:

injure, intimidate or alarm any person,
cause panic or civil unrest,
extort or profit, or
interfere with the operations of, or cause economic or other damage to, any person or any division of government.²

Note that a person can still be prosecuted for making terrorist threats in Nevada even if no harm actually occurs. Merely making the threat with malicious intent to cause harm is sufficient to invite criminal prosecution.

Nevada Crime of "Bomb Threats"

Watch this video on YouTube

2. What are the penalties for making a terrorist threat?

Making terrorist threats is a category B felony in Nevada. The punishment may include:

2 – 20 years in Nevada State Prison, and
maybe up to $5,000 in fines.

When deciding the final sentence, Nevada judges consider the defendant’s motives, the nature of the threats, and the amount of damage done.

Read more information about Nevada bomb threat crimes.

Legal References:

1. NRS 202.448.
2. See same.

About the Author

Neil Shouse

A former Los Angeles prosecutor, attorney Neil Shouse graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School (and completed additional graduate studies at MIT). He has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, Dr Phil, The Today Show and Court TV. Mr Shouse has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal and Top 100 Civil Attorneys.

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