Politically motivated 'swatting' incidents reveal how common anti-government terrorism is becoming, expert warns

Sun, 01/21/2024 - 09:39

SWAT team members search for a suspect at a residential building. — Political figures are increasingly facing threats of 'swatting,' where a person calls in a fake threat to encourage police to raid a target's residence or workplace in order to intimidate or harm them.
Mario Tama via Getty Images

Politicians and judges are increasingly facing intimidation via "swatting" attacks.
Swatting is when a person calls in a threat to prompt police to raid a target's home or workplace.
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat told BI why swatting is indicative of democracy declining.

Elected officials across the political spectrum are facing increased swatting threats, phoned in from unknown perpetrators seeking to terrorize government workers, in what one expert in authoritarianism told Business Insider is evidence of our democracy declining.