Police in Florida are investigating a threat made Thursday when a man walked into a Red Lobster, claimed he had a bomb and was working for the Taliban, and then later said he was joking.

The Largo, Florida police department received a call about the threat shortly after 3 p.m., according to the Tampa Bay Times. The Red Lobster manager said the man, who has not been identified, entered the restaurant carrying a black bag.

He initially made his threat and then asked to be seated. “Just to make you smile, I work for the Taliban, and I have a bomb in this bag,” he said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The man was taken to a booth near the window, where he and a woman sat away from other diners, according to local radio station News Talk Florida. Red Lobster staff and other customers then evacuated the restaurant.

He left the restaurant at 3:20 p.m. and police officers took him into custody, the Times reported. The man said there was nothing in the bag and that he had been joking. However, the police called in their bomb squad to examine his bag.

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Write to Abigail Abrams at abigail.abrams@time.com.