MIAMI – Several flights were ******* at Miami International Airport after authorities say an international passenger joked about having a ****.

Airport officials said in a news release that 60-year-old Manuel Alberto Alvarado was checking in for his Avianca Airlines flight to Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday morning when he made a comment about having explosives in his luggage. He later claimed he was joking.

The comment triggered safety protocols, and the Miami-Dade ****** Department **** squad responded. No explosives were found, but the response caused five outbound flights to be ******* up to an hour.

Alvarado has been charged with one count of **** hoax and one count of criminal mischief. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.