A California teen has been extradited to Florida and is believed to be a serial “swatter” behind hundreds of swatting incidents and bomb threats called in across the US.
Alan Filion, 17, was transported from Orange county, California, to Seminole, central Florida, on Tuesday, where he faces three felonies and a misdemeanor charge in connection to the swatting of a local mosque, according to the Seminole county state attorney’s office, Wired first reported.
“Swatting” is when law enforcement officials are called to a location under the false pretense of a violent crime taking place. The term “swatting” was coined as hoaxers often report false emergencies – including hostage situations or bomb threats – with the hope of getting heavily armed Swat teams to be dispatched.
Police have criticized swatting as dangerous to first responders and victims as well as a waste of resources.
Police believe the teen may be behind a May 2023 swatting against the Masjid Al Hayy mosque in Sanford, Florida, Fox 35 Orlando reported. Filion allegedly called police and stated he would commit a “mass shooting in the name of Satan”.
During the 911 call, Filion played the sound of gunfire in the background and claimed that there were explosives in the mosque. Roughly 30 police officers raced to the mosque, only to discover the emergency had been a lie.
US authorities told Wired that Filion may be one of the most notorious swatters in US history, alleging that the California teen has been making swatting calls since 2021.
Police allege that Filion has swatted high schools, historically Black colleges, FBI offices and other locations. Filion allegedly called in false bomb threats against military bases and the Pentagon, CNN reported, citing court documents.
Filion has also been accused of offering to call in pranks in exchange for money, Fox reported. In one Facebook post allegedly made by Filion, the teen offered to call 911 over a fake gas leak or fire for $40. Filion also offered to call in bomb threats or mass shootings for $75.
Filion will be tried as an adult under Florida law and is being held with no bond given his risk to the community, prosecutors argued.
His arrest comes as swatting incidents across the US have increased in recent months.
Politicians in both parties have been the victims of swatting. The House of Representatives’ top security official has even issued guidelines to legislators and their families on how to handle increasing swatting incidents, Axios reported.
Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race, has been swatted several times since December. In the latest incident, an anonymous caller claimed that Haley’s daughter had been shot and that Haley was threatening to shoot herself.
Charleston police responded to the scene, only to discover the call had been a prank.
The Florida senator Rick Scott, a Republican, announced in December that he had also been a victim of swatting.
“Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family,” Scott said in a social media post to X.
The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, a progressive, was also the target of swatting in December, WBUR reported. Wu has been victim to several prank emergency calls since being sworn in as mayor in 2021.
