Alan Filion, 17, was extradited to Florida on Jan. 30 to face charges for a swatting incident at a mosque, according to the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office.
Swatting is making a false report to the police with the intention of luring them to a location by saying a violent crime has taken place or is in progress.
The dangerous hoax has been on the FBI’s radar for nearly two decades and became more widely known as celebrities were targeted. The troubling trend recently took a political turn as federal judges and lawmakers have been subject to the false emergency calls, along with state capitol buildings and even the White House.
Filion threatened a mass shooting at the Masjid Al Hayy Mosque in Sanford, Florida, in a May 2023 phone call to law enforcement, according to a news release from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Lancaster teen Alan Filion is accused of making hundreds of swatting calls across the country.
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
During the call, Filion said he had a handgun and explosive devices, the release said. 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.” Gunfire is heard in the recording.