Teen Arrested For Twitter Terror Threat

A Dutch teen was arrested for posting a terror threat on Twitter. Although the 14-year-old girl said the message was a joke, authorities have taken the threat seriously. The teen, who identified herself as “Sarah,” was arrested at her Rotterdam, Netherlands, home on Monday.

On April 13, Sarah posted “@AmericanAir hello my name’s Ibrahim and I’m from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do something really big bye.”

The teen later said she was kidding.

Unfortunately, the message went viral and eventually gained the attention of American Airlines officials. Their response, which was also posted on Twitter, made it clear that the threat was no laughing matter:

“… Sarah, we take these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI.”

The American Airlines tweet prompted Sarah to post numerous replies. Throughout the day the teen referenced @AmericanAir in several messages, including “omfg I was kidding,” “I’m so sorry I’m scared now,” and “I was joking and it was my friend not me.”

Although she said she was frightened, the teen pointed out how popular she was, as thousands of Twitter users followed and retweeted her posts. Sarah certainly gained a lot of attention. However, the teen was eventually arrested for her Twitter terror threat.

As reported by Business Insider, Dutch police traced the Twitter account to a 14-year-old girl living in Rotterdam. Spokesman Wessel Stole confirmed the arrest. Although he did not comment on any charges, he said officials are taking the threat seriously.

Following her arrest, Sarah’s Twitter account appears to be suspended. American Airlines has also deleted their response to her initial message.

As reported by USA Today, American Airlines issued a statement about the incident:

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority. We take security matters very seriously and work with authorities on a case by case basis… Regarding [the] tweet, we removed it after it had been addressed in order to be able to focus on our customers.”

Prior to her arrest, Sarah apologized for her message and any confusion it may have caused. However, authorities are not willing to take any risks.

Federal authorities have not commented on the situation. However, police in Rotterdam have identified and arrested Sarah. It is unclear whether the teen will face any local or federal charges for posting a terror threat on Twitter.

[Image via Twitter]