Border Patrol official’s tweet about ‘potential terrorist’ arrest deleted

Border Patrol Yuma Sector Chief Chris Clem tweeted about arresting a "potential terrorist," but the tweet was deleted for revealing sensitive information.
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A tweet posted last week by a Border Patrol official that included a photo of a man described as a “potential terrorist” ​was taken down because Customs and Border Protection said it contained “law enforcement sensitive information,” according to a report Tuesday.

Border Patrol Yuma Sector Chief Chris Clem​ tweeted on Dec. 20 about an unidentified 21-year-old man who had been nabbed near Yuma, Ariz., the week before. 

“#USBP #YumaSector agents apprehended a potential terrorist who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico Thursday night,” Clem wrote. “The 21-year-old migrant from Saudi Arabia is linked to several Yemeni subjects of interest. #BorderSecurity is #NationalSecurity.”

CBP spokesman Luis Miranda said in a statement to Fox News that the posting was removed because “it contained law enforcement sensitive information, violating agency protocols.”

“All individuals encountered at or between U.S. ports of entry are screened and vetted against a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence information to determine if they pose a threat to national security or public safety, consistent with the law,” ​Miranda’s ​statement said.

The deleted tweet said Border Patrol arrested a 21-year-old from Saudi Arabia attempting to illegally enter the US with links to various Yemeni subjects of interest.

Twitter

​The CBP rep added that the investigation is ongoing and “following its standard protocols.”

​​”This may include referral, if appropriate, to other relevant law enforcement entities for further investigation and a custody determination​,” the statement said.

​​It didn’t specify what information was considered sensitive.

Based on the engagement with the relevant U.S authorities on this matter, the Embassy confirms that the individual mentioned here is not a Saudi citizen. We will continue to coordinate with the US govt and bring forward any facts on this matter. https://t.co/u81j7Bisa4

— Saudi Embassy (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) December 21, 2021

Hours after Clem tweeted about the apprehension, the Saudi embassy in Washington tweeted that it had confirmed the man in the picture was “not a Saudi citizen.”

The man apprehended at the border was wearing a jacket with two patches, one of which said, “Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps.”

B​ut ​Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps chief Thomas Meyers ​told Fox News last week that the man ​was not affiliated with the New York-based group. 

After the tweet went out, the Saudi embassy denied the arrested man was a Saudi citizen. The CBP says the investigation is “ongoing.”

Bloomberg via Getty Images

M​eyers also said the jacket is an older version of what the ambulance corps now wears and he did not know how the man obtained it.