Man pleads guilty to making false bomb threats to schools in US, Britain

Los Angeles: Federal prosecutors said a 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to sending false shooting and bomb threats to schools in the US and Britain.

The Department of Justice said Timothy Vaughn of Winston-Salem, North Carolina was a member of the Apophis Squad, a collective of hackers intent on using the internet to sow chaos.

Prosecutors said Vaughn, who used the online handle “WantedbyFeds,” entered guilty pleas Monday to multiple counts including conspiring to make threats and possession of child pornography.

A co-defendant, 19-year-old George Duke-Cohan of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, is currently serving a prison sentence in Britain for a hoax threat targeting an airliner.

The indictment alleged the Apophis Squad engaged in “swatting,” in which a phony report is made to trigger deployment of emergency response teams.