Twitter

Hackers Take Over Twitter Account of Tampa Mayor, Post Racist Messages and Threaten Airport

What to Know

  • The hackers also sent a fake alert saying that a ballistic missile was inbound toward the area while also posting sexist comments.

Investigators are searching for whoever hacked the Twitter account of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and posted a series of racist and offensive messages as well as a threat toward the city’s airport.

NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports that the account was hacked Thursday morning and posted messages that included child pornography before sending a tweet to Tampa International Airport with the message “I have hidden a bomb in a package somewhere…Looking forward to seeing some minorities die.”

The hackers also sent a fake alert saying that a ballistic missile was inbound toward the area while also posting sexist comments about women, later posting an address in Oregon as their location with the message “come get me guys im the hacker.”

The station spoke with Buckhorn, who said he is out of town and working with staff to close his account. Police are investigating both the hack as well as the threat, but so far have not released any information on the case.

Contact Us