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The investigation began in mid-July last year after multiple reports of serious crimes, including fake bomb threats against schools, churches and residential buildings, as well as false claims of murders and attacks on police units, KR NNI said.
The crimes involved swatting, or fake emergency calls to provoke armed police responses, as well as doxing, they said.
Investigators found that the suspects, now identified, had contacted their victims via Discord. After arguments between users escalated, the hackers obtained personal details and phone numbers of their targets, which they then used to make false reports to police.
The investigation was led by KR NNI’s cybercrime unit and supported by counter-terrorism force TEK and the Nagykanizsa police department.
When evidence suggested a Romanian national was involved, Romanian police joined the operation. Following an extensive investigation, authorities identified the four suspects: a 17-year-old Romanian national from Bihor County, in north-western Romania, a 16-year-old from Kisvarda, in north-eastern Hungary, an 18-year-old from Nyiregyhaza, in the northeast, and a 20-year-old from Budapest.
Police carried out coordinated raids at addresses in Hungary and Romania on Jan 20, seizing electronic devices, phones, and data storage, and secured evidence from online accounts. The 16-year-old from Kisvarda, questioned as a suspect for making threats, denied the charges and was released pending further investigation.
The 17-year-old Romanian citizen faces charges including terrorism, threats to public safety, and misuse of personal data. The “legal status of the remaining two suspects is under review” as investigators analyse seized evidence and clarify their roles, KR NNI said
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