Two men from Europe have been charged in a disturbing plot involving bogus reports of police emergencies aimed at harassing and threatening members of Congress, senior U.S. government officials, and numerous other individuals. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, identifies Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia as the alleged perpetrators.
The scheme involved making 'swatting' calls to provoke aggressive police responses at the victims' residences. The indictment states that the duo targeted at least 100 people, including senior government figures, with these false emergency calls. Additionally, the calls included threats of mass shootings at New York City synagogues, as well as plans to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and a university.
The federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., issued the indictment last Thursday. While it remains unclear whether Szabo and Radovanovic have been apprehended, court records suggest that they were believed to be in separate foreign countries as of last week.
Both individuals face charges of conspiracy and over two dozen counts of making threats. Prosecutors assert that the plot spanned more than three years, from December 2020 through January 2024.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, emphasized the serious consequences of swatting, stating, 'Swatting is not a victimless prank — it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma.'
The indictment reveals that Szabo orchestrated and oversaw chat groups to coordinate swatting attacks against 40 private citizens and 61 officials, including high-ranking members of the federal government's executive branch, a federal law enforcement agency head, a federal judge, current and former governors, and other state officials.
Radovanovic, on the other hand, is accused of making false reports to government agencies in December 2023 and January 2024, claiming killings, suicides, or kidnappings at the residences of U.S. senators, House members, and elected state officials. One of these calls allegedly resulted in a car accident with injuries.
