IOWA CITY (AP) -- A 22-year-old University of Iowa student from Davenport has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill the woman who has accused NBA star Kobe Bryant of rape.

John William Roche left a profanity-laced message on the answering machine of the accuser in Eagle on July 27, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

The caller threatened to assault the woman with a coat hanger and repeatedly said he would "kill you."

Roche was arrested at 2:45 p.m. Thursday as he pulled up to his Iowa City apartment in a sport-utility vehicle.

Al Kravey, of Iowa City, who was working on a house across the street from Roche's apartment, witnessed the arrest by FBI agents and Iowa City police.

"There was a GMC and an unmarked (car), and I thought they had had an accident because his front tail light was busted," Kravey said. "But as the passenger (Roche) was getting out, the officers came up to him."

Kravey said authorities questioned Roche for about an hour before arresting him. They released the car's driver after 45 minutes of questioning, he said.

Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, confirmed Bryant's accuser was the target but declined further comment.

The arrest is the first of its kind in the high-profile case involving the Los Angeles Lakers star. Bryant is charged with raping a 19-year-old hotel employee at a resort near Vail on June 30.

"I don't know if we can expect any other arrests. But there are investigations that are ongoing," said Krista Flannigan, spokeswoman for the district attorney prosecuting Bryant. She declined further comment.

The case has drawn widespread attention, including Web sites devoted to the case and some to disclosing the identity of Bryant's accuser. More than two dozen letters have been sent to prosecutors and to the judge handling the case. The judge has acknowledged that some are death threats.

Roche made an appearance in federal court in Rock Island, Ill., late Thursday where he posted bond and was released, Dorschner said.

He was freed under orders to appear Sept. 2 in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Roche is charged with making a threatening telephone call across state lines. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"Today's arrest should serve as a strong warning to those who think it appropriate to threaten the judicial officers or witnesses in this case," FBI agent Phillip B.J. Reid said in a statement. "This type of behavior is repugnant to the spirit of dignity and fairness that underlies the judicial process."