Funny boneTwo U.K. citizens detained by DHS over Twitter jokes

In an egregious error, Homeland Security agents apprehended two young British travelers bound for Los Angeles over misunderstood tweets.

One week before Leigh Van Bryan and his friend Emily Bunting were scheduled to leave for the United States, Van Bryan tweeted, “Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America.”

DHS agents spotted the tweet and waited for the pair’s arrived at Los Angeles Airport where they were placed in handcuffs and held in separate holding cells for twelve hours.

Officials interrogated Van Bryan about the tweet, but did not believe his explanation that “destroy” was simply British slang for partying hard.

“The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist,” Van Bryan said. “I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet but they just told me ‘You’ve really f***ed up with that tweet, boy’.”

The agents also questioned Van Bryan about another tweet of his that read, “3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA pissing people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!”

The tweet was a reference to a scene from the popular animated comedy show Family Guy, but agents, taking the tweet seriously, went as far as searching the pair’s suitcases for shovels believing Blunt’s role was to serve as lookout while Van Bryan dug up Monroe’s body.

“It’s almost funny now but at the time it was really scary,” Van Bryan said.

After being held overnight, DHS officials put them on a flight back home.

“Officials told us we were not allowed into the country because of Leigh’s tweets,” Bryant said. “We just wanted to have a good time on holiday. That was all Leigh meant in his tweets.”