German YouTuber locked up for bomb prank video
October 7, 2017
German YouTube star ApoRed landed himself behind bars this week for a prank video in which he pretended to throw a bomb at members of the public.
ApoRed, whose legal name is Ahmad Ahad, uploaded the prank video to his popular YouTube channel in July last year, the same day as the Nice terror attacks. In the video, he and a friend throw a duffel bag supposedly filled with explosives at members of the public in Hamburg.
The video has since been deleted, but has been re-uploaded by different accounts.
In the video, he throws the bag at pedestrians telling them they have 30 seconds to live, sending them running.
Hamburg authorities were unamused by the video and brought assault charges against Ahad and his co-star, Jan H., for the fear they instilled in their victims.
But Ahad failed to turn up at his September hearing. Instead, he uploaded a video to his channel half-heartedly apologizing for missing the court date.
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In light of his failed appearance, Judge Franziska Eisermann issued an arrest warrant for him. Hamburg justice spokesman Dr. Kai Wantzen told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper that Ahad was arrested on Wednesday and would face court on October 18. Until then, he will remain behind bars.
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The YouTuber, who has more than 2 million subscribers on the site and 1.3 million followers on Instagram, is known for his rap and prank videos. According to social media ranking site Socialblade, ApoRed is the 30th most-subscribed-to channel in Germany, possibly earning him up to 256,000 euros ($300,000) a year.