Two European Citizens Charged with Conspiracy Against a Former U.S. President and Several Members of Congress

According to court documents, U.S. justice officials have charged two European citizens with frightening and threatening dozens of individuals in their homes through phone calls and fake reports to police emergencies. According to the Associated Press, a former U.S. president and several members of Congress were targeted in a conspiracy by 26-year-old Thomas Sabo from Romania and 21-year-old Nemanja Radovanović from Serbia. A federal indictment states that the two targeted around 100 individuals with calls known as 'swatting.' In their fake calls to the police, they described a very dangerous situation to provoke an aggressive response from special police officers at the victims' homes to deal with 'that false dangerous situation.' The court document from the 'United States Secret Service' does not mention the name of the former U.S. president or any other official identified as a victim of these false calls. The two defendants are not explicitly charged with threatening the former U.S. president, but one victim is identified as a 'former elected official from the executive branch' who was targeted on January 9, 2024. The indictment also states that Radovanović falsely reported a murder and threatened to cause an explosion at that individual's home. Sabo told Radovanović that they should choose targets from both the Republican and Democratic parties because 'we are not on either side.' According to the court indictment, these calls also included threats of mass shootings at synagogues in New York City and detonating explosives at the Capitol building and a university in the United States. A federal grand jury in Washington D.C. presented the indictment last Thursday. It is unclear from online court documents in Washington whether Sabo or Radovanović have been arrested, but it has been reported that U.S. Secret Service agents questioned Sabo in Romania in January. He told them that he had participated in the mentioned bomb threats and fake calls since late 2020. Agents also questioned Radovanović in Serbia in February. Sabo and Radovanović are both charged with conspiracy and over 24 counts of threats. According to the prosecutor, this conspiracy has continued for more than three years, from December 2020 to January 2024. The indictment states that Sabo organized and managed internet chat groups to coordinate police raids through fake calls against 40 ordinary citizens and 61 officials, including members of the federal cabinet, the head of a federal law enforcement agency, a federal judge, current and former governors, and other state officials. In January 2021, three days before Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, Sabo called a special phone number and threatened to detonate explosives at the Capitol building and kill the elected president. Warnings from U.S. intelligence and cybersecurity agencies about attempts by hackers linked to the Islamic Republic to send ransomware. CNN reported on the operations of hackers linked to the Islamic Republic ahead of the U.S. presidential elections. A senior U.S. lawmaker urged Biden to take 'immediate and strong' action against the Islamic Republic. The FBI is investigating the 'hacking of Trump's campaign headquarters' by the Islamic Republic. A Pakistani national was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire a 'hitman' on behalf of the Islamic Republic. A U.S. lawmaker stated that the Iranian government's alleged terrorist conspiracy involving a Pakistani national is horrifying.