2 Mexican Suspects Await Possible 30-Year Sentences For "Twitter Terrorism"

It is a modern version of War of the Worlds. You would think though that the great strides in communication technology we have made since then that it would be harder for a few people to dupe (intentionally or otherwise) large swaths of the population.

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/09/05/2-mexican-suspects-await-possible-30-year-sentences-for-twitter-terrorism

"In Veracruz, Mexico, widespread panic consumed the local community as terrorized parents scrambled to save their children. From what, exactly? The answer is: absolutely nothing.

The panic supposedly began when two Twitter users from the area began informing their followers via a tweet that students were being kidnapped, and children held at gunpoint while other kids were being run over in the streets, Associated Press reports. Near as we can tell, the rumors first began to spread around August 25th. The exact time and day of the recent chaos remains unclear, but we are looking into the situation further.
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The pair in question are, reportedly, responsible for “opening the floodgates” to a series of disastrous events that did, indeed, cause massive damage. Namely, 26 car accidents with cars left in the middle of streets while panicked parents ran to protect their children. The charges reportedly caused so much damage that emergency numbers completely collapsed from the overload of terrified calls which damaged service for real emergencies.

Whether the suspects are directly responsible for the chaos is uncertain, as one suspect, Gilberto Martinez Vera, claims that he was simply retweeting rumors that had already begun."