Two individuals from Romania and Serbia have been indicted in an extensive "swatting" conspiracy, which incited police responses to false emergencies at various locations including the private homes of lawmakers, and public venues like businesses and religious institutions. The U.S. Department of Justice has made public the charges against Thomasz Szabo, 26, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, covering a slew of offenses related to the disruptive and potentially dangerous hoax calls made from December 2020 through January 2024.
The indictment, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, paints Szabo as the alleged ringleader of the online cabal, governing chat groups where the conspirators would hatch their plans, while Radovanovic played a pivotal role, all communicating via online pseudonyms in executing 40 swats against private individuals, and 61 directed at officials, alongside bomb threats to multiple institutions.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves underlined the seriousness of these crimes, stating, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, "Swatting is not a victimless prank—it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma". Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool from the Secret Service also emphasized the disruptive nature of these acts, reiterating their determination to hold perpetrators accountable. The diligence and coordination among multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service and the FBI’s field offices in Washington and Minneapolis, played a crucial role in bringing this case to light.
Szabo and Radovanovic's indictment alleges that their actions were not just juvenile pranks, but a targeted terrorizing strategy against senior government officials and the public, implicating members of Congress, cabinet-level executive branch officials, and senior officials of federal law enforcement agencies, state officials, four businesses, four religious institutions, and one university. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who commit this dangerous crime, no matter where they reside", affirmed FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, as cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
