A California man who is believed to have been involved in last year’s “swatting” incident that led to a fatal shooting in Kansas has been indicted by a federal grand jury for making a hoax bomb threat to the Federal Communications Commission during last year’s high-profile vote on net neutrality, the Justice Department said.
Tyler Barriss, 25, was charged with two counts of threatening and conveying false information concerning use of an explosive, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. One threat was made to the FCC and the other targeted the FBI’s D.C. headquarters.
The indictment was unsealed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Barriss allegedly called in the threat to FCC on Dec. 14, while the agency was holding its hearing on a proposed repeal of the net neutrality rules, and said there were bombs in the building set to explode.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stopped the meeting, and the building was briefly evacuated. The threats were found to have been a hoax.
Eight days later on Dec. 22, Barriss made a bomb threat to the FBI and said there were explosives placed inside and outside of the bureau’s headquarters, the Justice Department said.
Law enforcement again determined the threats were a hoax.
Barriss is currently in custody and facing state and federal charges in connection with the “swatting” incident that led to the death of a 28-year-old Kansas man last year.
Police believe Barriss called police and led them to the Wichita home of Andrew Finch, where he falsely claimed his mother and sister were being held hostage. Police shot and killed Finch as he stood in his front doorway.
Barriss was arrested in the days after the deadly shooting for his involvement in the episode.
A federal indictment in Kansas unsealed Wednesday charges Barriss with several counts in connection to the hoax calls that led to the deadly shooting, the Justice Department said.
