The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency is constantly looking for threats to the United States of America through it's use of full body scans, metal detectors... and Twitter? Time reports that the agency allegedly detained two British tourists recently after a questionable Twitter conversation. Leigh Van Bryan, 26, and Emily Bunting, 24, were surprised to be "taken aside by armed agents at Los Angeles International Airport and had their passports confiscated. They were reportedly questioned for five hours, put in a van with illegal immigrants and held overnight on suspicion of planning to commit crimes."

The now infamous tweets:

"Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?" and "3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p*ssing people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!"

"Destroy" is fairly common slang for partying and the second tweet concerned an episode of the popular show "Family Guy", but apparently the agency wasn't having it. After being detained overnight, the pair were sent home on a plane the next morning. The agency determined that these messages were a threat to the nation. Van Bryan and Bunting were returned to the UK the next day and Leigh was issued papers detailing the reason he was refused entry to the U.S.

The investigation of two young Brits seems overzealous, but in this age of heightened security and terrorist threats there is a new threshold developing for inconvenience in the face of safety. What do you think? Is this too far? Or just the cost of ensuring safe travel?

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