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gonzo
01-19-2010, 01:27 PM
Twitter joke led to Terror Act arrest and airport life ban
Man bailed but suspended by his employer after ordeal by interrogation
A Twitter post landed Paul Chambers in hot water with the police

When heavy snowfall threatened to scupper Paul Chambers's travel plans, he decided to vent his frustrations on Twitter by tapping out a comment to amuse his friends. "Robin Hood airport is closed," he wrote. "You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!"

Unfortunately for Mr Chambers, the police didn't see the funny side. A week after posting the message on the social networking site, he was arrested under the Terrorism Act and questioned for almost seven hours by detectives who interpreted his post as a security threat. After he was released on bail, he was suspended from work pending an internal investigation, and has, he says, been banned from the Doncaster airport for life. "I would never have thought, in a thousand years, that any of this would have happened because of a Twitter post," said Mr Chambers, 26. "I'm the most mild-mannered guy you could imagine."

While it has happened in the United States, Mr Chambers is thought to be the first person in the United Kingdom to be arrested for comments posted on Twitter. His ordeal began on 6 January when, after hearing that extreme weather had forced the closure of Robin Hood airport, he posted the ill-advised message – frustrated because he was to fly to Ireland from that airport on Friday 15 January.

Read more (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/twitter-joke-led-to-terror-act-arrest-and-airport-life-ban-1870913.html)

NY Jester
01-20-2010, 11:15 AM
I am going to be using Twitter a lot more in the next few weeks as I try and use SN's to my advantage.

DannyCox
01-20-2010, 01:37 PM
Paranoia is spreading! The terrorists are winning!

The way our governments are fucking all this up so badly, maybe we should all get used to saying Alhamdulillah and learning Sharia law.

housekeeper
01-20-2010, 03:55 PM
He should have been arrested on stupidity charges, how do you not know that is the absolute wrong thing to do...
Paranoia is spreading! The terrorists are winning!
The way our governments are fucking all this up so badly, maybe we should all get used to saying Alhamdulillah and learning Sharia law.
Well, that is in fact the crux of terrorism, the constant threat and mindset is, to a lesser degree, almost as powerful as the act itself.

You would however be surprised at how many people are oblivious to the situation and live their lives not giving any thought to the fact that their safety and well being are constantly in danger. And, as disconcerting as it is that virtually anyone from anywhere can enter this country, then filter into the immigrant underground, make a living (albeit illegally), there are many instances not publisized of attacks being thwarted and arrests being made.

Many people are lulling themselves into a false sense of privacy while tweeting, just be mindful of your public statements. We will be seeing much more of this type of idiocy, trust...