RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A man who was arrested on Tuesday in Riverside County, Calif. faces an 18-count indictment alleging he placed “swatting calls” threatening to commit mass shootings at several American schools and a major airport on behalf of the terrorist group ISIS, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.
In addition to several schools in California, Eduardo Vicente Pelayo Rodriguez, 31, of Riverside, allegedly threatened a school in Sandy Hook, a neighborhood in Newtown, Conn., remembered for the mass shooting that occurred at a school there on Dec. 14, 2012, taking the lives of 20 children and six adults.
“Mr. Rodriguez is alleged to have conducted swatting attacks, to include the callous targeting of an open wound at Sandy Hook, without regard for the potential consequences of this insidious type of hoax,” Krysti Hawkins, the acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said, in the release.
The Justice Department reports that Rodriquez also threatened to bomb Nashville International Airport; he is charged with one count of stalking, seven counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, seven counts of engaging in hoaxes and three counts of transmitting threats or false information regarding fire and explosives.
“Swatting” refers to falsely reporting in the name of another person, claiming that an emergency is in progress or about to occur, the Justice Department said, adding that the intent of “swatting” calls is to have emergency services or law enforcement respond to the location and investigate.
Using a Voice over Internal Protocol service, Rodriguez called a suicide prevention center and veterans crisis hotline last year, claiming that he was contemplating suicide or killing others, the Justice Department said.
According to the Justice Department, Rodriguez then called school staff at seven different schools in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California as well as in Sandy Hook, Conn. threatening to commit a mass shooting or bombing at the schools.
Lastly, he allegedly called Nashville International Airport in Tennessee, saying he had planted a bomb on a plane and in the airport; he remarked, “This is for ISIS,” and, “One hour, boom,” the Justice Department said.
When law enforcement responded to the phone calls, it was determined they were fake, according to the Justice Department.
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“The sorts of ‘swatting’ crimes alleged against this defendant are highly troubling,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said, in the release. “The indictment alleges that the defendant placed calls to schools, airports and other locations that were designed to cause maximum fear and trigger an emergency response.”
Estrada said in the release that “swatting” is a serious crime because it can cause great trauma and risk loss of life.
Hawkins noted in the release that criminals who perform swatting hoaxes should understand that the FBI and its local partners take the threats seriously and that the penalties are considerable if convicted.
If convicted, Rodriguez faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the stalking count, five years on each of the threats counts, five years on each of the hoax counts and 10 years on each of the counts relating to fire and explosives, the Justice Department said, adding that Rodriguez was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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