Nearly 200 swatting incidents took place in US Jewish institutions last week, says FBI

The nearly 200 swatting incidents targeting Jewish institutions like schools and synagogues over the last week appear to be an attack from outside the US, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant FBI Director Cathy Milhoan said the language and email techniques used by the perpetrators appear connected and did not originate from within the country.

Secure Community Network (SCN), a safety and security non-profit that advises American Jewish institutions, says it tracked a “record number” of 199 swatting and fake bomb threats across multiple states just between last Friday and Saturday.

While they weren’t credible threats, some led to the evacuation of synagogues and the cancelation of Shabbat services that began on Friday.

SCN also points out antisemitic incidents have seen a rise in America since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip in October. The organization logged 772 incidents in October and 634 in November, up 290% from the past year, according to data shared with USA Today.