(LibertyInsider.org) – The judge overseeing President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York City has been subjected to a swatting attack. Police in Nassau County say they responded to Justice Arthur Engoron’s Long Island home in the early morning hours of January 11 after someone called in a bogus bomb threat.
Further details regarding the identity of the caller and whether their motives had anything to do with the trial have yet to emerge. However, two sources close to the incident confirmed that the report involved a bomb threat, prompting a joint response by police and the bomb squad.
Authorities quickly determined that the threat was a hoax after arriving at Justice Engoron’s home. However, the courts had already implemented heightened security measures surrounding the judge in response to concerns for his safety. Court spokesperson Al Baker said it will now roll out additional protections “out of concern for Justice Engoron’s safety.”
Engoron isn’t the only official to face bomb threats and swatting attempts in recent months. In fact, attacks on notable political figures and locations appear to be on the rise — and they appear to be focusing on people at every level on both sides of the aisle.
A wave of bomb threats prompted the evacuation of numerous state capitol buildings and government facilities across the country in early January. Election administrators are also reporting unprecedented harassment and, in some cases, explicit death threats. These alarming incidents underscore rising tensions around political debate and elections in the US.
Other judicial officials have faced similar hoaxes in recent weeks. An unidentified individual called in a bomb threat at Judge Tanya Chutkan’s Washington home on January 7. Chutkan is currently presiding over Trump’s federal election case.
Special Counsel Jack Smith was also targeted at his Maryland home on Christmas Day. The caller in that incident didn’t report a bomb but told police that Smith had murdered his wife.
The swatting incident at Justice Engoron’s home took place just hours before he was set to preside over the closing arguments in Trump’s civil fraud trial. The day before the attack, Judge Engoron ruled that he would deny the former president the opportunity to address the court during those proceedings. His decision elicited immediate and fierce criticism from both Trump and his many supporters.
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