Daily Mail, UK - Two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to 'destroy America' and 'dig up Marilyn Monroe'. Leigh Van Bryan, 26, was handcuffed and kept under armed guard in a cell with Mexican drug dealers for 12 hours after landing in Los Angeles with pal Emily Bunting.
The Department of Homeland Security flagged him as a potential threat when he posted an excited tweet to his pals about his forthcoming trip to Hollywood which read: 'Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?'
Despite telling officials the term 'destroy' was British slang for 'party', they were held on suspicion of planning to 'commit crimes' and had their passports confiscated.
Leigh was also quizzed about another tweet which quoted hit US comedy Family Guy which read: '3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!
The Department of Homeland Security was recently criticised over false accounts it set up on Twitter.
Federal agents even searched his suitcase looking for spades and shovels, claiming Emily was planning to act as Leigh's 'look out' while he raided Marilyn's tomb.
Bar manager Leigh, from Coventry, and Emily, 24, from Birmingham, were then quizzed for five hours at LAX before they were handcuffed and put into a van with illegal immigrants and locked up overnight.
They spent 12 hours in separate holding cells before being driven back to the airport where they were put on a plane home via Paris.
3 comments:
ha ha ha ... but...
Through what process were these tweets discovered in the first place? If the tweets were flagged ahead of the initial airline journey, and if passenger lists must be cleared before take off, and if the authorities had decided there was a potential problem, then why was the gentleman allowed to be on the plane in the first place? What qualifications are needed to become a Homeland Security employee in charge of dealing with this evidence? Is taking everything literally a desired attribute for these positions? Shouldn't the interview at LAX served to clear the matter up? Isn't a tomb usually made of concrete or plaster, so how does suspected shovels and spades fit in to this? What's the point of anything if guys this dumb are given badges and power over people?
This makes it seem like the system would be really easy to overwhelm and obviate. It seems easily as vulnerable as it is powerful.
For once, DHS does something useful.
Post a Comment