'Swatting' probe nets Ottawa boy accused of making up emergencies

A 16-year-old Ottawa boy is facing 60 criminal charges after at least 30 fake emergencieswere calledin to police forces across North America, sometimes requiring a SWATteam response.

The allegations include phony bomb threats at schools in Calgary and Milton, Ont. in April.

"These incidentscreated real fear, put people'ssafety at risk anddisrupted entire communities, while straining valuable emergency response resources including police, firefighters and paramedics," saidOttawa police Staff Sgt. RickBaldwin-Ooms."And we want people to understand that this behaviouris far from harmless."

Emergency respondersinvestigating the hoaxes mainly activeshooterscenarios and bomb threat weren't available to helppeople in need of real assistance," he said.

It's an activitycalled "swatting," in which911 calls are made to get revenge on people or organizations or prank them. The aim is to geta large emergencyresponse.

The boy was arrested at his home in west Ottawa on Thursday after a two-month investigation into fake emergency calls as far as California and Calgary, and as close as Montreal, Laval and Toronto, police said.None of the incidents police are so far aware of took place in Ottawa.

The Ottawa police are handling the cyber crime case, with help from the FBI and other Canadian police forcesin Calgary, Ontario and Quebec.

Theboy'shome was searchedand officers seized data transmission devices andcommunications equipment, as well as multiple firearms and ammunition.

Police said they seized the weapons from the home in the interest of public safety.

The charges against the boy include:

• Public mischief.
• Mischief to property.
• Uttering death threats
• Conveying false information with intent to alarm.

The boy cannot be identified due to the provisions of theYouth Criminal Justice Act. He was expected to appear in court on Friday.

Police said that he could face more charges.