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Just a joke?

FIU Student Faces 15 Years After 'Netanyahu' Bomb Threat in WhatsApp Chat Goes Nuclear

Gabriela Saldana faces up to 15 years in prison after telling a 215-member WhatsApp group to "drop some bonbons" on a campus event. In an era of heightened tension, Florida authorities aren't laughing --- and a $5,000 bond proves that on campus, there's no such thing as a "joke" threat.

Gabriela Saldana

A 23-year-old Florida International University (FIU) student was arrested after posting messages in a university group chat that authorities interpreted as a bomb threat targeting a campus event, including a reference to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gabriela Saldana faces a second-degree felony charge of making written threats to kill or do bodily harm after allegedly writing in a 215-member WhatsApp group for capstone students: “Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in Ocean Bank Convocation Center.”

“Bonbons” was understood by investigators as a coded reference to bombs. She is also accused of writing that “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.

The messages were posted amid discussions about a scheduled capstone event at FIU’s Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Other students reported the posts, prompting FIU police to investigate. Saldana admitted sending the messages but described them as a “dumb joke” aimed at expressing frustration and possibly getting the event rescheduled. She reportedly edited the post and added an apologetic “I sowwy :(”.

FIU campus police arrested Saldana on April 16, 2026, near a parking garage on the Modesto Maidique campus. She was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

In bond court, Judge Mindy S. Glazer set bail at $5,000, ruling that the messages constituted a credible threat despite defense arguments that it was meant as humor. The university stated it treats any threat of violence at campus events with the utmost seriousness.
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