Florida student arrested after suggesting Netanyahu 'drop bombs' over school to get out of presentation

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:30, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 01:42, 21 April 2026 A Florida college student is behind bars after authorities say she invoked a foreign leader in a chilling message - sparking panic among classmates and a swift response from police. Gabriela Saldana, 23, a student at Florida International University, was arrested after allegedly posting a series of alarming messages in a large WhatsApp group chat tied to a campus event. The messages, sent to a group of roughly 200 students discussing a scheduled gathering at the school's Ocean Bank Convocation Center, quickly set off alarm bells. In one post, Saldana appeared to reference Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu writing: 'Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in Ocean Bank Convocation Center,' according to an arrest report. Investigators interpreted the word 'bonbons' was used as a reference to bombs.  According to police testimony in court, 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,' referring to another student in the chat. Gabriela Saldana was arrested after allegedly posting bomb-related messages in a large student WhatsApp chat Judge Mindy S. Glazer ruled there was probable cause, saying the comments would not be seen as a joke by an objective person The comments, made in the hours leading up to the planned event, were reported by other students who did not interpret them as jokes, prompting an immediate investigation by campus police. Saldana, who worked as an intern at Microsoft at one point, was taken into custody near the university's main campus and later appeared in bond court, where the seriousness of the situation was laid bare. Appearing before Judge Mindy S. Glazer, Saldana acknowledged the messages, telling authorities: 'I wrote a dumb joke that should not have been made.' But the court was not persuaded that the explanation diminished the potential threat. 'I can understand your position when you are saying this is a joke,' Judge Glazer said during the hearing.  'But 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.' Florida International University said the threat was treated as credible and confirmed there is no ongoing danger to campus Saldana referenced Benjamin Netanyahu in one message, appearing to ask him to drop bombs on the FIU event Prosecutors charged Saldana with making written threats to kill or do bodily harm. The judge declined to find probable cause for an additional enhancement related to prejudice. Her bond was set at $5,000. In a statement, Florida International University confirmed the arrest and said the situation was treated as a serious threat. 'An FIU student has been arrested for making a credible and imminent threat of violence at a planned university event,' the university said.  '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.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.