A juvenile was arrested by the FBI for a series of “swatting” threats targeting houses of worship across Southern California.
The juvenile, who was not identified, is a suspected member of an online swatting ring responsible for a series of threats targeting Jewish synagogues and African-American churches, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Swatting” involves a person knowingly providing false information to police regarding a threat at a specific location so that officers respond with a SWAT Team.
The swatting ring under investigation is accused of calling in bomb threats and swatting attempts at several Jewish facilities including at least 25 synagogues across 13 states. The incident took place between July 2023 and August 2023, authorities said.
The juvenile suspect allegedly created the online server that hosted the swatting network, officials said. The server, which has since been taken offline, included “members who espoused extremist views, to include the glorification of highly publicized mass killers.”
In a Tustin incident on July 22, police received a call from a suicide hotline about a threat from the juvenile suspect.
The suspect claimed he was at a Jewish synagogue located at 2111 Bryan Avenue and that he planned to kill everyone and himself.
Officers responded to the synagogue and discovered the call to be a hoax.
The FBI and local law enforcement began investigating and found the suspect was possibly involved in other similar swatting calls throughout the U.S.
He was later tracked down and arrested on Dec. 12 before being booked at the Orange County Juvenile Hall.
He will be charged at the state level by the O.C. District Attorney’s Office for two swatting hoaxes at synagogues in Tustin and Fullerton.
“The false swatting threats made in this case drained law enforcement resources and caused a negative financial impact on local communities,” said the FBI. “Evidence has shown that making false threats can cause significant distress to victims and can cause physical injury to first responders or other victims.”
“The Tustin Police Department is committed to the safety of all community members,” Tustin police said. “We will work tirelessly with our partner agencies to bring suspects to justice and send a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
