23-year-old Gabriela Saldana, a student at Florida International University, was taken into custody after she reportedly issued a written threat against a school event in a WhatsApp group chat including over 200 student members. According to her arrest report cited by US news websites, the American university student jokingly suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drop bombs over the higher education institution so that a scheduled event could be postponed.

It’s common knowledge that students across the globe have time and again lightheartedly joked about apocalyptic disasters causing damage to their schools so that attendance could be avoided. Saldana’s reported threat took on a more insensitive shape than usual in the wake of the ravaging war unfolding in West Asia ever since the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran on February 28.

Saldana has since “admitted to sending and transmitting the messages,” according to the arrest report. The 23-year-old was booked shortly after 4:15 am on Thursday. According to PantherNOW, the ‘Home of FIU’s Student Media,’ Saldana is a 23-year-old FIU senior and an undergraduate research assistant at the university. Another student in the aforementioned 215-person group chat is believed to have reported her after she sent the threatening message, which name-dropped Netanyahu.

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Florida university student’s ‘Netanyahu bomb joke’ decoded

In Saldana’s case, her arrest report determined that she dropped the troubling message when fellow students were discussing an event scheduled for Friday at Florida International University’s Ocean Bank Convocation Center. 

According to screenshots of the text obtained by local US news outlet 7News, Saldana wrote, “Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in Ocean Bank Convocation Center.”

During the bond court appearance, a Florida International University officer said Saldana also wrote, “There is going to be a bomb in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and it was going to be Jonathan’s fault,” which was in reference to another student in the chat.”

As “bonbons” was interpreted as a reference to bombs, other students in the WhatsApp chat seemingly didn’t view the text as a joke, according to WSVN.com. Saldana also appeared to have alluded to a social media trend, which has seen users flippantly call on the Israeli prime minister to “bomb” or “strike” locations. According to PantherNOW, such references have often been recorded in traffic-related videos.

Additionally, the reported screenshots of the chat further indicated that Saldana responded to other students’ apparent dismissals, saying, “I wrote a dumb joke that should not have been made.”

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Addressing Saldana during her court appearance, Judge Mindy S. Glazer acknowledged that she could understand her position, suggesting the text was meant as a “joke.” However, she added, “To an objective person, it’s not a joke, and it would be enough for probable cause. I’m not saying it’s enough for beyond a reasonable doubt. I don’t know if the state is going to be able to prove it in trial, but for purposes of this hearing, I believe there is enough for probable cause.”

With the Florida student’s bond set at $5,000, she faces charges of threats to kill or do bodily harm with prejudice. The presiding judge did not find probable cause for charges of prejudice.

Florida university speaks out

Issuing a statement about the situation at hand, Florida International University said, “An FIU student has been arrested for making a credible and imminent threat of violence at a planned university event. According to the investigation, the suspect identified a specific date, time and venue. Given the ongoing investigation and federal student privacy laws, FIU has no further comment. There is no further threat to the university community.”