US indicts duo over alleged Swatting spree that targeted elected officials
The US government has indicted two men for allegedly reporting almost 120 fake emergencies or crimes in the hope of provoking action by armed law enforcement agencies.
According to court documents [PDF], Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, called crisis intervention hotlines, alerted government agencies, or posted evidence of crimes online.
The indictment describes their activities as “Swattting” – a reference to the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams operated by some law enforcement agencies. SWAT teams are often heavily armed and frequently exercise deadly force.
In an announcement of the indictment, the Attorney’s office claimed that the duo’s targets included " members of Congress, cabinet-level executive branch officials, senior officials of federal law enforcement agencies, and state officials.”
Swatting has produced at least one fatality, meaning the accused’s actions could have resulted in harm to important people. The suspects also apparently made bomb threats against businesses, religious institutions, and a university.
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