(Washington, DC) — The Justice Department is charging two foreign nationals connected to multiple “swatting” incidents, including one at South Dakota Mines. According to the indictment, a 26-year-old from Romania and a 21-year-old from Serbia have each been charged with one count of conspiracy and 29 counts of false information regarding explosives. “Swatting” is when someone makes a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to have a large number of armed police dispatched to a particular address. In 2020, a bomb threat was called into South Dakota Mines, forcing a lockdown and evacuation of the school. The two men allegedly committed swatting attempts against 40 private individuals and 61 public officials, including members of Congress and Cabinet-level executive branch officials.
