A British man appeared in court in Spain this week to face charges related to an international security crisis response that was triggered by a joke he made to friends in July 2022.
Aditya Verma, an Indian-born chess prodigy who resides in Great Britain, sent the joke on Snapchat while using public Wi-Fi provided by the Gatwick airport.
“On my way to blow up the plane (I’m a member of the Taliban),” Verma messaged before boarding the flight that was headed to the vacation island of Menorca. Verma was 18 at the time of the incident.
In court on January 22, Verma explained that his message was meant as a private joke between friends and was based on his skin color and appearance.
British authorities monitor social media activity that occurs on public Wi-Fi. The terms “blow up,” “plane,” and “Taliban” triggered a security alert. British authorities notified their Spanish counterparts about the perceived threat. Spain scrambled two F-18 fighter jets to escort the aircraft until it landed. Verma was arrested as soon as the plane was on the ground.
Government monitoring of online communications is nothing new. In the U.S., efforts rapidly increased following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Over the decades since the attacks, government agencies have instituted advanced screening protocols to identify potential threats before they happen.
The American Civil Liberties Union warned in 2023 that the National Security Administration, operating through Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Securities Act, has been capturing emails, text messages, and social media posts of millions of ordinary Americans for years. Section 702 is meant to monitor foreign actors who might be terrorists, drug cartels, or other bad actors, but the system also sweeps up data from innocent people.
The law was set to expire at the end of 2023 but is being renewed by Congress. Some modifications of the law are anticipated, but final details are not available.
Verma is not facing terrorism charges but is facing the possibility of massive fines from both Britain and Spain for causing a public disturbance. Britain could charge Verma the equivalent of nearly US$25,000, while Spain is seeking more than US$100,000 to cover the expenses of scrambling the fighter jets.