Agents arrest Humble teen accused of making threats to blow up plane on Snapchat

HUMBLE, Texas (KTRK) -- A Humble teen is facing a felony charge after police say he made a terroristic threat on Snapchat shortly before taking off with his father on a flight to Guatemala.

According to court documents, 17-year-old Hector Fonseca was at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Aug. 3 when he snapped an image of his shoes and shorts inside a terminal, along with the words "blown this sh*t up." The snap also included a smiley face and bomb emoji.

A second snap was posted before Fonseca boarded the United flight with his father, this time showing the teen holding his passport along with the message "time to blow up the plane," court documents state.

On Aug. 4, an e-tip to the FBI National Threat Operations Center was made by a Snapchat representative, who reported the alleged messages, but Fonseca had already left the country.

FBI and customs agents investigating the messages followed a digital trail from Fonseca's Snapchat account to the home of a neighbor, who was able to identify the teen and where he lived.

"Immediately upon questioning...he stated that he knew why law enforcement was speaking to him and that it was regarding the Snap Chat post made by Hector Fonseca," court documents state.

Screenshots of the snaps were sent to Houston police, who made plans to arrest Fonseca upon returning home.

Fonseca faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.

If police had been notified of the threat before the plane departed, it would have forced Bush Intercontinental Airport to ground all inbound and outbound planes, airport operations would have been shut down, and all non-emergency personnel would have been evacuated.

Late Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney's Office released this statement to ABC13:

"What everyone needs to know is that we take threats of mass violence seriously - especially when they involve airports, schools and other public, weapon-free places. Houston Police filed charges with prosecutors after receiving information from FBI and Customs and Border Protection agents, who investigated a tip regarding a planned act of violence directed toward Bush Intercontinental Airport." - Dane Schiller