The FBI arrested a 17-year-old alleged “serial swatter” accused of making bomb threats at hundreds of locations around the country.
According to a press release, Allan Filion targeted historically Black colleges, mosques, high schools, FBI offices and FBI agents, and made threats to bomb military bases, the Pentagon, 25 Senators and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Filion was extradited from California to Florida on January 30 to face charges for “swatting” a mosque, according to the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office.
Swatting is making a false 911 call to police to lure a large police response.
For nearly two years law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, tracked the person responsible for making hundreds of swatting calls and bomb threats throughout the United States.
In May 2023 Filion threatened a mass shooting at the Masjid Al Hayy Mosque in Sanford, Florida, in a phone call to police.
During the phone call, Filion said he had a handgun and explosive devices, according to a press release.
In a 911 call released by the department, the caller is heard saying he is going to “commit a mass shooting in the name of Satan.” The caller played gunfire noises in the background.
In 2023, someone called 911 to report active shooters at high schools in Savannah, Georgia.
The police reportedly said they were “building a case” against a person known to make similar swatting calls in the past.
Over the following months, court records show, the FBI monitored Internet channels linked to a particular user, later identified as Filion.
The FBI sent subpoenas to Discord and Google requesting information linked to several user accounts.
The information led them to Filion’s residence in Lancaster, California.
On April 21, 2022, FBI agents interviewed Filion’s father, William, at his home in Lancaster, according to court documents.
That same day a user on a website linked to swatting incidents posted, “SOMEONE JUST REPORTED ME TO THE FBI… LOL!”
On July 15, 2023 the FBI executed a search warrant on Filion’s home and seized his phones and computers.
The teen was arrested on January 18, 2024 and extradited to Florida.
Fillon is being held at a Seminole County jail without bond.
