COUNTER Terrorism Policing South West have charged a man with a series of bomb hoaxes in the UK and the USA.

Detectives from the squad, which covers Somerset and the rest of the region, investigated a string of hoax bomb threats made to schools, the Houses of Parliament and the Super Bowl.

They have charged a 23-year-old man.

Andreas Dowling, of Torpoint, Cornwall, was arrested yesterday (Tuesday) and has been charged with 20 counts of making hoax bomb threats to schools across England and the Houses of Parliament between January 19 and February 8, 2016.

He has also been charged with 10 offences relating to hoax bomb threats made to a number of American schools and police departments and the Super Bowl XLIX between October 10, 2014 and February 1, 2015, as well as a threat to a Canadian school during the same period.

The investigation was led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South West who are satisfied the threats were not an act of terrorism.

Dowling, who has been remanded into custody, will appear at Exeter Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday), where he will also face a charge of encouraging the distribution of an indecent image of a child.