FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday that the federal law enforcement bureau is investigating “swatting” incidents that have targeted certain media figures in recent days.
Multiple right-wing content creators, including InfoWars host Chase Geiser, said this week that they have been the target of swatting incidents, which generally entail prank calls to emergency services that trigger a large number of armed police officers sent to a particular address.
While Patel did not go into details about the media figures involved, the FBI director said that “weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers.”
Patel also promised that more updates will be forthcoming.
“I was handcuffed in the middle of the street, presumably at gunpoint though I couldn’t tell because of the light being shined on my face. I was then led into the house where my wife was woken up and we were informed that they received a call from someone pretending to be me and threatening to kill my family.”
“A dozen cops attempted to kick my dad’s door in at gunpoint,” he said Thursday, adding that “This is literal ... terrorism. And the FBI should treat it as such.”
He continued: “In my dad’s case, the caller told police my dad was killing my entire family, requiring them to intervene with deadly force. This is nothing short of attempted murder. They wanted the police to kill my father.”
In late 2023, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was the victim of a swatting incident around Christmas time that year, confirmed by police officials. A local police department spokesperson said at the time that an individual in New York called the Georgia suicide hotline and shot his girlfriend at Greene’s home, which they quickly determined was a hoax.
The Epoch Times could not immediately verify the authenticity of Geiser, Eagleman, or Sortor’s statements.