‘Drop Bombs on my College’: Florida Student Arrested Over WhatsApp Message

A 23-year-old student at Florida International University was arrested on Wednesday after posting a message in a WhatsApp group chat that appeared to ask Benjamin Netanyahu to “drop bombs” on her college, NBC Miami reported, citing police.

Gabriela Saldana appeared in bond court on Thursday afternoon following her arrest. Authorities said the message was shared in a WhatsApp group of around 215 students.

According to the arrest report cited by NBC Miami, Saldana made “a threat to kill or do bodily harm to individuals regarding a scheduled event on Friday, April 10, 2026, via a WhatsApp group chat.”

The students had been discussing an event scheduled at the university’s Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

“The defendant did so in a manner in which it may be viewed by another person and intended the threat to be a true threat,” the report stated.

Screenshots obtained by 7News showed Saldana writing, “[Israel’s Benjamin] Netanyahu, if you can hear me, drop some bonbons for us Capstone students in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.” In another message, she wrote, “@Netanyahu can you please drop bombs on FIU. Finals are next week and I'm not ready.”

An FIU Police officer told the court that 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.

What did Judge Mindy Glazer say about the FIU student’s bomb threat and probable cause?

In court, Saldana told officers the message was intended as a joke. However, students in the chat did not interpret it that way. She later wrote, “I wrote a dumb joke that should not have been made.”

"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," the judge added.

Saldana faces charges of threats to kill or do bodily harm with prejudice. Glazer said she did not find probable cause for prejudice. Her bond has been set at $5,000.