Police arrest man for Twitter death threats to TV comedian

Police in Marbella have arrested a man who last Tuesday made death threats toward the Spanish comedian Eva Hache via microblogging website Twitter. Hache, the presenter of El club de comdedia on La Sexta, alerted police to the messages through the same means, by contacting the online accounts @policia and @guardiacivil062, adding a link to a screenshot of the original threats.

The messages - "If I was you I wouldn't leave the house," "Bitch. Die," "I am going to the theater and I will stab you in front of everybody," - were emitted by an account identified as @Pelayo_Gil. After receiving the messages, Hache got in touch with the authorities: "Hello, good evening, señor officer," the humorist wrote. The response from the national police was immediate. "Message received, Eva, we need you to follow [our Twitter account] so that we can attend to you via a private message."

"Message received, Eva. You have to make an official complaint, but we are on the case," the Civil Guard replied. Hache did as the authorities asked and lodged an official police complaint with the Technology Investigation Brigade (BIT).

It was this specialized unit that announced, again on Twitter, that a 22-year-old farmer had been arrested. "The BIT has detained in Marbella the person who made clear and persistent death threats to @eva_hache," the message read.

The online incident spawned a host of messages of support and commentary from followers of the comedian. Hache used her Twitter account to thank them for their concern: "To all those who were worried. Thank you. [The matter] is now in the hands of those that have hands."

The alleged perpetrator of the threats had previously used Twitter to insult other celebrities. He called Risto Mejide, well-known as a judge on the singing competition Operación Triunfo, a "fool" and accused Andreu Buenafuente, presenter of a long-running eponymous late-night show, of being "evil."