Rotorua man who threatened FBI director: 'I've learned a valuable lesson'

A Rotorua man who made online bomb threats to the now-sacked FBI director says he's sorry and he has learned a valuable lesson.

Frank Stewart McLean, 32, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement after he made online threats over five days, including threatening the life of James Comey, who was fired this morning, while he was visiting New Zealand in April.

The threats forced the evacuation of the US Embassy in Wellington.

"The police came around to question me and I told them to go away. Then later five to six cop cars turned up. I was thinking, 'they must think I'm a terrorist'," McLean said.

McLean, who openly supported Palestine and Russia, said some people would describe him as a "troll or keyboard warrior".

"The headlines [about the US Government] just tipped me over the edge. I did say something stupid [the death threat]. It was just pure frustration and stupid."

McLean told the Rotorua Daily Post today he was opposed to the US government and supported Palestine and Russia.

He said he became so frustrated with headlines about what the US government was doing, he "had had enough and got on emails and Facebook".

Using his online name of Oryan McLean, he made threats between April 21 and 25, including posting messages to the US Embassy's Facebook page.

In it he said: "Please inform your FBI director here in NZ that his life is in danger and he will not leave this country alive".

McLean also said Comey would leave New Zealand "in a wooden box".

He also said "There is a bomb at your Embassy" and "Another bomb will go off soon evacuate the Embassy and f**k off or die".

"Must suck because you know that police can't do anything to me here," he wrote.

McLean said he spent a lot of time researching the US government and described government officials as terrorists.

However, he said he did like US President Donald Trump, who fired Comey today.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to America. He is straight up and doesn't read from a script," McLean said of Trump.

McLean, who said he wore scarves "with pride" that supported the Palestinian movement, said he just wanted to get his opinions across.

"My opinions are not necessarily popular because they go against popular opinions. Some people can not handle that," he said.

"I have had a problem with the American Government for years. They are the only country that is consistently going to war.

"I support the Muslims. I started supporting Palestine a couple of years ago."

He said he was a part-time website developer and had previously described himself as a journalist because he ran his own news website.

His bail condition is that he not go on social media.

He will be sentenced in the Rotorua District Court on June 7.

The maximum sentence is three months' jail or a $2000 fine.