TUSTIN, Calif. – A California juvenile was arrested by federal agents with the FBI for a series of “swatting” hoaxes, which targeted houses of worship across Southern California and other states as well.
The suspect’s identity was not released to the public due to the offender’s age, but the individual is believed to be part of an online swatting ring responsible for a series of threats, specifically targeting Jewish synagogues and African-American churches, the FBI said, according to KTLA.
The act of “swatting” refers to suspects who knowingly provide false information to police regarding a significant threat at a specific location in an effort to generate a response from a SWAT team or other tactical units.
The ring of swatting perpetrators under investigation by the FBI is accused of calling in bomb threats and swatting attempts at more than 25 synagogues and other several Jewish facilities across 13 states. The timeframe of these crimes occurred between July 2023 and August 2023, authorities confirmed.
The juvenile suspect that was arrested by the FBI reportedly created the online server that hosted the swatting network, according to officials. It has since been taken offline. The group of deviants include “members who espoused extremist views, to include the glorification of highly publicized mass killers.”
One swatting incident occurred in the City of Tustin, where police said, “A juvenile suspect who was a member of an online swatting ring was arrested Tuesday morning, it was announced today by members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
The Tustin Police Department provided the following details:
On 07/22/23, Tustin Police Dispatch received a call from a suicide hotline regarding a threat in Tustin. The hotline advised they were communicating with someone via chat who stated they were at 2111 Bryan Ave (Congregation B’nai Israel) and planned to kill everyone and himself.
TPD responded to the location and evacuated the congregation. After a lengthy tactical response and investigation, the call was determined to be a hoax.
The FBI was immediately notified and an investigation by numerous state and federal partners was initiated.
The investigation revealed the same caller had possibly been involved in other swatting calls throughout the United States.
At the conclusion of the joint-FBI investigation, a juvenile suspect living in Los Angeles County was identified. The juvenile suspect was taken into custody on 12/12/2023 and booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall.
The perpetrator will be charged at the state level by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for two swatting hoaxes at synagogues in Tustin and Fullerton, KTLA reported.
“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.”
The FBI noted, “The false swatting threats made in this case drained law enforcement resources and caused a negative financial impact on local communities. Evidence has shown that making false threats can cause significant distress to victims and can cause physical injury to first responders or other victims.”
