Police and an Avignon family trapped by a hoax

On Sunday May 4, the Avignon police (Vaucluse) received a appel reporting a hostage -taking in a house. According to here Vaucluse, the person on the phone claimed that after a difficult separation, he was ready to hold his daughter hostage, threatening to kill her in the event of intervention by the police.

Faced with these chilling threats, the authorities immediately sparked an emergency intervention system.

Once arrived on the spot, the police discovered A completely surprised family by the situationhaving no connection with the threats made.

A dangerous hoax

The call turned out to be a dangerous hoax, orchestrated by a man seeking to take revenge on a personal dispute on a social network.

Swatting: a disturbing phenomenon

The author of this call is currently wanted by the Avignon police. This type of maneuver, known as « swatting »has become more and more common in France, inspired by practices observed in the United States, where false emergency reports are used to encourage police forces to intervene with non-concerned victims.

In France, swatting can lead to severe sanctions, with sentences of up to two years in prison and fines of 30 000 euros For authors of such acts.

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