Airport Security Guard Pleads Guilty Over Obama Threat

The New Jersey airport security guard accused of threatening to shoot President Obama has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and is expected to be released after a hearing Thursday. John Brek, who was arrested Oct. 20, pleaded guilty last week to lesser charges of harassment.

Brek, 55, originally faced felony charges of making terroristic threats and receiving stolen property and could have faced five years in prison, The Star-Ledger reported. The lesser charges carry a maximum 30-day jail sentence.

A Continental Airlines worker at Newark Liberty International Airport told authorities Brek made threatening comments at an airport coffee cart. The worker reported hearing Brek say he had "cut a hole in a fence to be able to shoot" Obama a day before the president traveled to New Jersey. Brek was arrested several hours later and charged under state law with making terroristic threats against the president. He denied making any threats.

A search of his northern New Jersey home turned up dozens of firearms, none illegal.