美国国家公共电台 NPR--Federal authorities investigate a case about false threats of school shootings

Federal authorities investigate a case about false threats of school shootings

Transcript¹

One individual may be responsible for hundreds of false reports of active shooters across the U.S. The hoaxes³ have raised awareness⁴ of "swatting," and how it may be a national security threat.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Federal authorities continue to investigate hundreds of swatting hoaxes that appear to be tied to a single person. An NPR analysis indicates that the same man with a foreign accent has been calling schools and public safety agencies, falsely claiming that an active shooter is on a school campus. The calls have prompted police responses, with officers swarming⁵ the school, often with guns drawn⁶. Can schemes of this kind pose a threat to national security? NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef reports.

ODETTE YOUSEF, BYLINE⁷: In early September, an elementary school in Kent, Ohio, received a call. A man was threatening to go to the school with a rifle. One parent called city dispatch. She'd heard about the threat while on the phone with her child's case manager.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PARENT: But while I was on the phone, I hear on the loudspeaker, lockdown. This is not a drill. Everybody lockdown. And then the case manager hung up the phone. And I don't know what to do.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK. We've got officers going to check on them.

UNIDENTIFIED PARENT: Is it a shooter?

YOUSEF: It wasn't a shooter. It was a hoax². A few days later, there was a marked increase in these kinds of calls across the nation. Between mid-September and late October, NPR found nearly 200 schools in 28 states were targeted. NPR couldn't verify whether this Ohio call was part of that scheme. But call after call, these swatting hoaxes generate the same fear and panic. NPR has learned that this is not the first time this apparent overseas caller may have targeted U.S. schools. In an earlier spree in the springtime, he falsely claimed bombs were in schools. The caller uses internet-based phone numbers tied to a service called TextNow. And the calls are either made from or routed through Ethiopia. A month ago, TextNow blocked Ethiopia from its service. Since then, the company says, it has further restricted its service to North America. Still, the calls have continued. And they've extended into additional states, including Oregon, Alaska and Maine.

TOM O'CONNOR: It's cheap. It's very effective. And there is - you know, it's very difficult to find out who's doing it.

YOUSEF: Tom O'Connor spent more than 20 years on the FBI's Joint⁸ Terrorism Task Force in Washington, D.C. He's retired⁹ from the agency now. He says the FBI's involvement in this investigation¹⁰ is, perhaps, the only way that local officials will ever get to the bottom of this.

O'CONNOR: A local agency working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force has the ability to reach to that country and have a liaison¹¹ already in place set to work with that nation's law enforcement agency.

YOUSEF: The FBI declined to comment on the status of its investigation. But Jason Blazakis believes this phenomenon potentially merits much more than a federal criminal inquiry¹². Blazakis worked for two decades in the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism. He says the State Department should be aware of this scheme and possibly involved in putting an end to it.

JASON BLAZAKIS: I think, diplomatically, if we have information that this individual truly is based in Ethiopia, we need to take that to the Ethiopians and ask them to actually pursue action on their side to shut this person down.

YOUSEF: After all, the telecom company that manages IP addresses behind these calls is owned by the Ethiopian government, which is known to heavily surveil communications on the network. Blazakis also says this could fall to authorities who handle foreign terrorism, namely the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not respond to NPR's questions. But Blazakis says the scheme has most of the ingredients that he would consider to be foreign terrorism. It can result in violence. It creates fear. And it targets civilians¹³. It's just missing one final component¹⁴. Is there a political motivation behind these calls?

BLAZAKIS: Is this person somebody who is jaded¹⁵, who did not receive a visa from the United States? Does it relate to the United States-Ethiopian tensions because of the conflict in the Tigray region? Or is it a third party trying to meddle¹⁶ in the U.S. system?

YOUSEF: Lauren Krapf of the Anti-Defamation League says even if this can't be established, this wave has illustrated¹⁷ that swatting can be more than just a nuisance to local law enforcement. That it could, in fact, become a national security concern.

LAUREN KRAPF: The idea that swatting can be weaponized and would continue to be used in different ways, like threatening our elections, like threatening local and national events, like potentially calling in SWAT to major places of transit¹⁸.

YOUSEF: At the very least, Krapf says, perhaps this latest wave of calls points more clearly to a need for federal monitoring of swatting threats and a more robust¹⁹ federal response.

Odette Yousef, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

3 hoaxes   

n.恶作剧，戏弄( hoax的名词复数 )v.开玩笑骗某人，戏弄某人( hoax的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The disc jockey, a young separatist named Pierre Brassard, has made his name with such hoaxes. 这位名叫彼埃尔 - 布拉萨尔的音乐节目主持人，是一名年轻的分离主义者，以制造这类骗局闻名。 来自百科语句
• This chain-letter hoaxes, has mutated over the years. 这一骗局多年来在互联网上不断发展和变异。 来自互联网

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

12 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

13 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

14 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

15 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

17 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

18 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

19 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。