SLUT LAKE CITY— A teen from Wyoming is being charged with terrorism after posting on social media that a “bomb has been planted” from an airplane at Salt Lake City International Airport.
In a press statement from the FBI, they said that the juvenile was arrested on March 31 by the Joint Terrorism Task Force for a post from March 22. The youth has been charged with making a terrorist threat by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. The subject is too young to have a name made public.
The FBI found that the social media post was fake, and there were no problems with the flight. The young person was caught when he got back to Salt Lake City from his trip.
The FBI is using this chance to tell people that this kind of behavior will lead to very bad things.
“It is very bad to make threats, even on social media, by text message, or by email.
“This is a very serious matter that can have terrible results for both the victims and the people who do it,” the news release said. “Fake threats make school less safe and waste police time and resources.”
It is still illegal to make such a post on social media, even if it is just a joke.
The bureau put out these rules for how to step in and stop a problem from getting worse:
- Do not post or send any fake threats at all.
- If you are the victim of an online threat, you should call the police right away.
- Should you see a violent threat on social media, you should call your local police or FBI office right away.
- Notify the police, but don’t share or forward the threat until they have had a chance to look into it. Doing so can spread false information and make people worry.
- As a parent or family member, you should know that some teens and young adults make these threats online to get attention, get even, or control other people. Talk to your child about the right way to deal with stress or other feelings. Also, tell them how important it is to use social media responsibly and what will happen if they make fake threats.
The FBI asked anyone who sees something fishy to call them at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), especially if they think someone is going to do something violent.
