Who is Gabriella Saldana? Florida student arrested over alleged bomb threat while calling out Netanyahu for ‘throwing some candy’
A 23-year-old Florida International University (FIU) student was arrested after posting information about the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu In a college group chat. Authorities reportedly interpreted Gabriella Saldana’s message as bomb threat aim at one campus event.
Who is Gabriella Saldana? What is she accused of?
According to an arrest report, Saldana, a student at Florida International University, allegedly “threatened to kill or cause physical harm to an individual through a WhatsApp group chat during a scheduled event on Friday, April 10, 2026,” nbcmiami.com reported. She was arrested on April 16 near a parking lot on the Modesto Medic campus, JFEED reported.
The arrest report shows Saldana sent the message to a group chat of several people on Wednesday, and the location of the incident was listed as the FIU campus.
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“The defendant did so in a manner that could be seen by another person with the intent of turning the threat into a real threat,” the report states.
According to campus police, they arrested Saldana at an address in a parking lot at the intersection of 8th Street and 109th Avenue. She admitted she sent the messages and was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
“Netanyahu, if you can hear me please send some candy to our Capstone students at the Ocean Bank Conference Center,” Saldana allegedly wrote in a 215-member Capstone student WhatsApp group, JFEED reported.
Investigators believe “bonbons” is a coded reference to bombs. She also allegedly wrote, “There’s going to be a bomb at the Ocean Bank Conference Center and it’s going to be Jonathan’s fault,” referring to another student in the chat.
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Saldana faces a second-degree felony charge of written threats to kill or cause bodily harm.
The news came during discussions at the FIU’s scheduled capstone event at the Ocean Bank Conference Center. Florida International University police began investigating after other students reported the posts. Saldana later described the messages as “silly jokes” meant to express frustration and possibly reschedule the event.
She even later edited the post and added an apologetic “I’m sorry :(“.
Judge Mindy S. Glazer set bail at $5,000 in bond court. The judge ruled the messages constituted a credible threat, although the defense argued it was a joke.
