Federal authorities have linked a person in Serbia to more than 100 swatting calls, many of which targeted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Cybersecurity, Infrastructure and Security Agency Director Jen Easterly. It targeted senior Biden administration officials, including
Sources told CBS News that U.S. Secret Service and FBI agents combed the residence of a person of interest on Friday. They seized a large amount of evidence, including computers and other electronic equipment.
According to the report, no charges have yet been filed in connection with the swatting incident, but charges are likely to be filed in the near future. The person of interest is accused of making numerous swatting calls during the winter holidays.
New York Republican Rep. Brandon Williams was the victim of a swatting call on Christmas Day. His spokesperson confirmed to CBS that his office had received a tip about an “alien resident overseas” whose location had been located in connection with the incident.
Swatting is a type of cyber harassment that involves making 911 or emergency calls about a shooting situation or some type of immediate danger that does not exist. The goal is to make large-scale police responses illegal, often including the arrival of SWAT teams.
Although swatting is often described as a prank, it can actually have deadly consequences.
In 2021, Tennessee man Mark Herring died of a heart attack after heavily armed law enforcement officers raided his home. They believed Herring had killed a woman on the property. Police said he was the target of a swatting attack over his refusal to sell his Twitter handle, @Tennessee.
And in 2017, Andrew Finch was shot and killed by a Wichita police officer who believed he had killed his father and taken his mother and brother hostage. Online gamer Tyler Barris made the call, but he mistakenly gave Finch's address to police, thinking it was from a rival who owed him a dollar or two on a Call of Duty bet. Ta.
Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus have also been victims of swatting.
Over the summer, the FBI launched a national database in response to an increase in swatting incidents.
