SWAT team sent to home of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer

[kpete]

A message sent to police in Montgomery County, Virginia on Saturday caused a SWAT team to descend upon a home owned by CNN host Wolf Blitzer, under the impression that someone at the residence had just been shot.

The report turned out to not be true, according to The Washington Post, which noted that Blitzer was not home at the time. Police were already suspicious of the message when they arrived on the scene, the Post noted, having received a text message sent through a phone provider’s emergency relay service.

The case is yet another instance of the growing trend known as “swatting,” where authorities are called to someone’s home under false pretenses. Other recent notable victims of swatting include Fox News contributor Erik Erickson, television personality Ryan Seacrest and talk show host Russell Brand, along with former Washington Post tech columnist Brian Krebs.


Police said they are still trying to determine who sent the message about a shooting at Blitzer’s home. “Wolf is fine,” a CNN spokesperson reportedly said. “That’s what matters most.”

.........

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/29/swat-team-sent-to-home-of-cnns-wolf-blitzer/

[geek tragedy]

1. John King reporting that they were seeking a "dark skinned male" by that name., nt

[lpbk2713]

2. “Wolf is fine”

Um ... is that open for discussion?

[JI7]

3. this is happening to a lot of Celebs in Los Angeles, are they happening to other areas also ?

can't they try to do something about those who make these false calls ?

[Rex]

4. CNN: BREAKING - Wolf Blitzer is a reporter.

World still has doubts.

[Tx4obama]

5. And also at the home of Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers (R)

On Saturday evening, Montgomery County, Maryland police got an urgent and fake message claiming that someone had been shot at Wolf Blitzer’s home. (In fact, he was fine and actually not even in town.) A perimeter was set up around the home, the whole deal.

What makes this jump out to me is that something seemingly almost identical happened at roughly the same time at the Michigan home of Rep. Mike Rogers (R). (Our Pema Levy confirmed the story around noon today.)

No evidence that the two incidents are connected. But uncanny and more than a bit unsettling.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/04/bizarre_and_unsettling.php

[malaise]

6. More bogus information from CNN?

- bet the message said Blitzer was shooting off his mouth with misinformation.

[ananda]

7. Somebody desperate for attention, publicity?

Hmm...

[TheMightyFavog]

8. Or looking to divert police attention?

[catbyte]

9. And here I thought they finally busted him for criminal pomposity &

incorrigible self-aggandizement. My bad!

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Hopefully this will encourage wolfie to be more careful in his reporting in the future

Maybe he can take away a few lessons from this.