Justice Department indicts two foreigners accused of swatting attacks, including on School of Mines

South Dakota investigators contributed "significant" evidence to international investigation

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Correction: An earlier version of this article indicated the swatting attack against SDM occurred in 2022. The alleged attack happened in 2021.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota played a role in the investigation into two foreign nationals who were indicted for a conspiracy to “swat” U.S. lawmakers, private victims, houses of worship and businesses.

The indictments of Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia were unsealed Wednesday in the District of Columbia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. The “swatting” attacks and bomb threats started in December 2020, the Justice Department alleged in a release announcing the indictments.

In South Dakota, Szabo is alleged to be responsible for a swatting/bomb threat made at the School of Mines in 2021. While the case was handled at the national level, “The South Dakota investigation contributed some significant evidence of Szabo’s conduct early in the conspiracy, according to Ace Crawford, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Allison Ramsdell. 

Abandoned baby laid to rest, accompanied by police escort