Skip to main content

Popular YouTube prankster jailed for staging bomb threat hoax

google youtube kids india app mobile ios ipad
bloomua/123rf
There are practical jokes and then there are displays of idiocy. The following is the latter. In the wake of a rather elaborately staged bomb threat hoax, a popular YouTube troll has been arrested. Because no, it’s really not a good idea to plant fake bombs and stage robberies.

On Thursday, YouTuber Danh Van Le, the co-founder of the Trollstation channel, was arrested for filming “jokes” that consisted of scaring civilians with what appeared to be a bomb hidden in a clock hidden in a briefcase. In these recorded pranks, a 15-year-old boy would approach individuals at crowded tourist hot spots in London, open up a bag to reveal its contents, and then flee, leaving the briefcase behind.

Recommended Videos

The antics, filmed back in September, were meant to be some sort of homage to Ahmed Mohamed, the now famous American teen whose homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb, renewing a national discussion about racial profiling and landing him internship offers at some of the top tech firms in the country. That said, Van Le’s footage doesn’t seem to do much justice to the criticism of injustice.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The 31-year-old cameraman was also responsible for footage at the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery, in which “robbers” ran into the museums carrying paintings in attempts to convince visitors that there was an ongoing robbery.

Van Le pled guilty to one count of bomb hoax placing with intent, involving eight incidents, the Daily Mail reports, and has since been sentenced to 24 weeks in jail. And his gallery stunts have landed him even more time behind bars (another 12 weeks). In total, Van Le’s offenses have resulted in nine months of prison time. We can only guess at what new ideas he’ll cook up in the slammer.

Le’s teenage accomplice has been found guilty of the same crimes, but due to his status as a minor, he’s been given a 12-month intense referral order.

A spokesperson for the Trollstation YouTube channel, which is reportedly the largest such channel in the U.K. with 680,000 subscribers and 188 million views, called the punishments “pretty unfair.”

“A big production crew for the Jackie Chan movie [The Foreigner] blew up a bus in London in February and didn’t warn anybody apart from some local people,” the spokesperson said. “In a way that impacted more people and scared a lot more people, but a small production does this low-budget thing and this is how it is dealt with.”

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
YouTube TV tips and tricks: how to get the most out Google’s live TV service
YouTube TV app icon on Apple TV.

There’s a reason YouTube TV has found itself the leader in live-streaming video. In fact, it has about twice as many subscribers to its cable-TV replacement as the next biggest platform. And. among other reasons like price, reliability, and abundance of channels, it is just packed with features.
In fact, YouTube TV has so many features tucked away in there that you’ll be forgiven if you don’t spot them all at first. But we’ve done the legwork. We’ve watched hours and hours of YouTube TV. Weeks and months, really. We’ve flipped all the buttons. We’ve pressed all the switches. (Wait — reverse that.) And we’ve put together a list of what we think are the most important — if not always obvious — YouTube TV tips and tricks. And we're not just talking about NFL Sunday Ticket.
This isn’t everything. There are still a few other places to explore in the settings menu, as well as when you’re watching shows and movies. But these are the YouTube TV tips and tricks we absolutely think you must know.

Record a show to watch later

Read more
Bills vs Steelers live stream: Can you watch the game for free?
A quarterback runs and throw the ball in an NFL game.

Both just four wins away from securing the ultimate NFL prize, the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in just an hour in an AFC Wild Card showdown. The game starts at 3:30 PM ET today, Monday, January 14, after yesterday's original 1 PM start was rescheduled due to bad weather, and will be televised nationally on CBS, but if you don't have cable or can't get to a TV, there are several ways you can watch a live stream of the game, including a handful of free options. Here's a guide on everything you need to know to watch the Bills vs Steelers online in the US.
The Best Way to Watch Bills vs Steelers

Fubo is going to give you exactly what you need here. Not only does it include your local CBS channel in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but it has it available live in more markets than any other streaming service. Additionally, Fubo's "Pro" plan includes 180-plus total channels for plenty of other sports and entertainment, 1,000 hours of cloud DVR in case you want to record and watch the game later, and the ability to stream simultaneously on 10 different screens at home. And perhaps most importantly, it comes with a free seven-day trial so you can watch the Bills vs Steelers and the rest of the NFL playoff games this weekend at no cost.

Read more
10 most popular MrBeast YouTube videos, ranked by views
A man points to others in a MrBeast YouTube video.

MrBeast has taken the Internet by storm. Born James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson, he’s a 25-year-old YouTube streamer and philanthropist who creates videos with elaborate challenges and big monetary giveaways. His willingness to do ridiculous things and his generous heart are what have struck a chord with viewers.

Donaldson is now the most subscribed-to person on YouTube, with 222 million subscribers (at the time of this writing). He’s also the second-most subscribed YouTube channel overall, behind only the T-Series music channel from India. He became the first person to surpass the children’s educational program CoComelon on the list.

Read more