[bbfan1991]

Two British friends were banned from entering the US after one mentioned that he would be 'destroying America' in a message on Twitter.

Leigh Van Bryan, 26, and Emily Bunting, 24, were handcuffed and locked up for 12 hours before being sent on a flight home after they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, the Daily Mail reports.

Bryan, from Coventry, sent a message to a friend on January 16 which read: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America."

On January 3, he had quoted Fox show Family Guy, quipping: "3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p*ssing people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!"

Bryan's charge sheet read: "During secondary examination Mr Bryan was placed under oath and his sworn statement was taken by CBP Officer Wahmann. Mr Bryan confirmed that he had posted on his Tweeter website account that he was coming to the United States to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe.

"Also on his tweeter account Mr Bryan posted that he was coming to destroy America."

Bryan told the newspaper: "The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist.

"I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet but they just told me, 'You've really ******ed up with that tweet, boy'."

Bunting, from Birmingham, said: "They asked why we wanted to destroy America and we tried to explain it meant to get trashed and party.

"I almost burst out laughing when they asked me if I was going to be Leigh's lookout while he dug up Marilyn Monroe. I couldn't believe it because it was a quote from the comedy Family Guy which is an American show."

The pair must now apply for a visa from the US Embassy before attempting to fly to the US again.

Last January, Paul Chambers was arrested for joking that he would blow an airport "sky high" if it was still closed by snow when he intended to travel.

He was later found guilty of sending a grossly offensive message or one of an indecent, obscene or menacing character by means of a public electronic communications network.

Chambers's appeal was rejected before Doncaster Crown Court agreed to a second appeal.

Frequent Twitter user Stephen Fry later said that he was "prepared to go to prison" on behalf of Chambers.