On August 25, 2011 Gilberto Martínez Vera and María de Jesús Bravo Pagola made a series of fraudulent Twitter tweets alleging that an attack by drug gangs was in progress at an elementary school in Veracruz, Mexico. The tweets caused mass panic that was compared to the War of the Worlds panic.Dan Goodin. "Twitter users charged with terrorism for false tweets". The Register, 9/7/2011. The two were charged with terrorism and faced more than 30 years in jail."'Twitter terrorists' face 30 years in jail for inciting mass panic". The Sydney Morning Herald, 9/5/2011. The charges were later dropped.Mexico 'Twitter terrorism' charges dropped. BBC News, 9/22/2011.
There were 26 car accidents as people left their cars in the middle of the streets, as they ran to pick up their children.
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