2 Accused of Initiating a "Swatting" Plot Against Former US President & Members of Congress

Two European men, Thomasz Szabo, 26, from Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, from Serbia, have been accused of orchestrating a plot to intimidate and threaten numerous individuals, including a former U.S. president and members of Congress, by making false police emergency reports, according to recently unsealed court records.

The federal indictment alleges that Szabo and Radovanovic targeted approximately 100 people with “swatting” calls, which are fake emergency reports intended to provoke a heavy police response at the victims’ homes.

These swatting incidents included a range of high-profile individuals, though a U.S. Secret Service agent's affidavit did not disclose the names of the former president or other officials targeted.

Although the defendants are not specifically charged with threatening a former president, one of the alleged victims is described as a "former elected official from the executive branch" who was targeted on January 9, 2024.

During that incident, Radovanovic allegedly made a false report of a killing and threatened to detonate an explosion at the official’s home.

The indictment reveals that Szabo and Radovanovic selected their targets from both Republican and Democratic parties, aiming to avoid aligning with any political side.

The swatting calls also included threats to carry out mass shootings at New York City synagogues and to plant explosives at the U.S. Capitol and a university.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., issued the indictment last Thursday, detailing that Szabo and Radovanovic face charges of conspiracy and over two dozen counts of making threats.

The indictment outlines that the plot spanned more than three years, beginning in December 2020 and continuing through January 2024.

The investigation has been complicated by the fact that Szabo and Radovanovic were believed to be in separate foreign countries as of last week.

Szabo was questioned by Secret Service agents in Romania in January, during which he admitted to involvement in both swatting and bomb threats since late 2020.

Radovanovic was questioned in Serbia in February and provided details about the "script" he used during the swatting calls, allegedly acting under the direction of a juvenile who supplied him with the victims' addresses.

Szabo is accused of organizing and moderating chat groups that coordinated swatting attacks against 40 private citizens and 61 officials, including high-ranking members of the federal government, a federal judge, and various state officials.

Notably, in January 2021, just days before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Szabo reportedly threatened to detonate explosives at the Capitol and kill the president-elect.

Radovanovic is also alleged to have made false reports of killings, imminent suicides, or kidnappings at the homes of U.S. senators, House members, and other elected officials during December 2023 and January 2024, one of which reportedly led to a car crash causing injuries.

Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, emphasized the seriousness of these actions, stating, “Swatting is not a victimless prank — it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma.”