Monday, April 14, 2014

Teenager Arrested For Threatening Tweet To American Airlines

Dutch police have arrested a 14-year-old girl in Rotterdam after she sent American Airlines a threatening tweet on Sunday.

The exchange became a viral sensation on Twitter after a user identified as Sarah who went by the name "@QueenDemetriax_," tweeted: "@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 alarmed airline swiftly replied: "@queendemetriax_Sarah, we take these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI."

The regretful and fearful teenager sent multiple tweets back to the airline insisting she was just a kid and joking.

Her Twitter account has subsequently been suspended.

Rotterdam police told NBC News that the girl, accompanied by her mother, voluntarily turned herself into a local police station on Monday.

"It was a serious tweet, so we had to investigate," Cenet De Jonge, spokesperson for Rotterdam Police, told NBC News.

The police say they are investigating the teen and what her motivation was, but that she does not face any charges yet.

The young girl did not get a lot of sympathy on Twitter over the weekend, with many users calling her an "idiot" and the "winner of 'Dumbest Person Alive."

In a statement, the airline assured its customers of its dedication to safety.

"At American, 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."

-NBC News' Nadia Sikander and CNBC's Ben Berkowitz

First published April 14 2014, 10:20 AM

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