British Tourists Arrested for 'Destroy America' Twitter Joke
Two British tourists were detained when trying to come to America over several tweets government officials interpreted as dangerous and possibly crime-related.
Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Banting planned a trip to the U.S., but when they landed in a Los Angeles airport, Van Bryan was treated like a criminal. He was handcuffed, detained, and questioned for hours about suspected terrorist activities, according to Daily Mail.
The tweet that led to their lockup: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?" Van Bryan asked a friend.
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Despite being informed that "destroy" is popular slang for "party" in the U.K., the Department of Homeland Security wasn't taking any chances.
Both tourists were interrogated about their plans to "destroy America," and held on criminal charges.
Van Bryan, 26, was also questioned about a previous tweet he sent referencing Marilyn Monroe's corpse.
"3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p------ people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!" tweeted Van Bryan. Authorities took this tweet seriously as well, even though popular show Family Guy first made the joke, and the tourist was simply imitating it.
"I couldn't believe it because it was a quote from the comedy Family Guy which is an American show," Banting told Daily Mail.
They then searched their luggage for spades and shovels, assuming the pair were literally bent on unearthing the remains of the long-dead star.
Banting, 24, claimed that officials also asked her if she was trying to be the "look out" while Van Bryan dug up Monroe's grave.
Eventually, the Department of Homeland Security finished questioning the pair, but put on the charge sheet that their "Tweeter Web site account" exposed the intent to commit crime.
Officials took both Bunting and Van Leigh's passports, and the travelers were hauled off to jail and held overnight with the likes of Mexican illegal immigrants.
After spending 12 hours in a small cell, the two were shipped off to a plane back to Paris, and told that they must apply for U.S. visas before coming back to America.
