The U.S. Secret Service declared it had dismantled a network of electronic devices in the New York area. These devices were employed to carry out “telecommunications-related threats” against high-ranking government officials leading up to the on Tuesday.
More than 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards, which had the potential to disable cell towers and facilitate “anonymous communications between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises,” were taken out of commission, the Secret Service confirmed.
U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool, in a video released by the agency, stated that the network possessed the capability to “essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City.”
While the Secret Service did not identify the organization or individuals behind the devices, it reported that preliminary analysis “indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals known to federal law enforcement.”
All of the devices were discovered within 35 miles of New York City, where over 150 leaders and other senior officials from around the world were convening on Tuesday. President Donald Trump is also anticipated to deliver a speech during the event.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran asserted in a .
He added, “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
The investigation is currently ongoing.
