A HIGH Wycombe man was jailed for four years on Friday for calling in a bomb hoax while under the influence of cannabis - which caused New York's Times Square to be evacuated.

Jamal Ahmed, 20, from Miersfield, Cressex, was handed 32 months for making a hoax call to US government officials in July 2008, claiming a bomb had been left at Frankie's steakhouse in Manhattan.

He also explained to the US officials what the bomb looked like and what time it would be detonated – causing the NYPD to close roads and evacuate addresses in West 45th Street while the area was combed for the device.

Ahmed was also hit with a 16 month sentence at Aylesbury Crown Court for making a call to the Home Office the next day, claiming he had information on a chemical explosive device in London.

In a follow-up call, he told Home Office officials he was working for an overseas intelligence agency and gave fake names for people connected to the 'bomb', suggesting they had connections to terror group Al-Queda.

Ahmed admitted two counts of communicating information which he knew or believed to be false with the intent of inducing false belief that a chemical bomb was to go off.

In a police interview, Ahmed told officers he had been under the influence of cannabis and admitted nothing he said in the calls were true.

He added that he had been 'bored' and 'wasn't thinking' when he made the calls but accepted he had given details in the calls in order for police to take him seriously.

He had used a SIM card registered to a friend to make the calls, and believed he would not be able to be traced.

Police investigations revealed that Ahmed had also attempted to contact New Scotland Yard, NYPD, the CIA and other security related agencies in the UK and America.