DELANO, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Sept. 22, 2022.
U.S. Congressman Tom Emmer says his home was the target of a "swatting" prank Saturday night, posting that what happened is part of a larger effort targeting elected officials.
Emmer is a fifth-term lawmaker representing Minnesota's sixth district. He posted on his X (Twitter) account that the incident occurred Saturday night, and diverted a police presence to his home.
"Thankfully, no one was home or injured," Emmer wrote. "I condemn this illegal abuse of police resources."
The FBI defines swatting as a form of harassment designed to trick a law enforcement agency into sending a large police and emergency response team to an address by falsely reporting a crime or emergency. Those behind the swatting incident often use technology, such as caller ID spoofing, social engineering or calls from a burner phone to make it appear that the emergency call is coming from the victim’s phone.
The Wright County Sheriff's Office said in a release that they received a call at 6:07 p.m. about a possible homicide or hostage situation at Emmer's residence. They checked the residence and made contact with Emmer and his security detail from the U.S. Capitol Police, before determining that it was likely "swatting."
The Sheriff's Office added that the incident was being investigated by the U.S. Capital Police.
KARE 11 reached out to authorities in Wright County for details on the alleged swatting incident but has not received a response. The congressman's website says he and his wife live in Delano.
Emmer is not the only person from the political world who has been targeted in recent months. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was swatted days after dropping Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot, with a caller reporting a burglary at her home. Others who have been victimized include U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Over the weekend former U.N. Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley shared details of a Dec. 30 swatting incident directed at her home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Haley said while she and her husband were not at home, but her elderly parents and a caregiver were.
“I will tell you that the last thing you want is to see multiple law enforcement officials with guns drawn pointing at my parents and thinking that something happened,” Haley shared in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. “It was an awful situation.”
Haley says the incident “goes to show the chaos that’s surrounding our country right now."
In the past two years, schools and places of worship across Minnesota have been targeted by swatters in what law enforcement call organized campaigns.
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