2 men from Europe charged with ‘swatting’ plot targeting members of Congress and senior US officials

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two men from Europe are charged in a plot to call in bogus reports of police emergencies to harass and threaten members of Congress, senior U.S. government officials and dozens of other people. A federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday accuses 26-year-old Thomasz Szabo, of Romania, and 21-year-old Nemanja Radovanovic, of Serbia, of targeting at least 100 people with “swatting” calls to instigate an aggressive response by police officers at the victims’ homes. Prosecutors say the calls also included threats to carry out mass shootings at New York City synagogues and to set off explosives at the U.S. Capitol and a university.