Secret Service Thwarts Massive Plot That Could've Shut Down N.Y.C. Cell Towers and Blocked Emergency Services During U.N. Assembly By Rachel Raposas

The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a massive telecommunications network used to facilitate threats to the U.S. government, cell towers and emergency services in the New York tristate area.

In an announcement made early on Tuesday, Sept. 23, the Secret Service shared that it discovered active SIM farms — including 300 SIM servers and over 100,000 SIM cards — in multiple locations.

According to CBS News, the SIM operation made it possible for encrypted, anonymous messaging at a capacity of 30 million texts per minute. 

It also had the ability to disable cell towers and telecommunications while “facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises,” the Secret Service said.

An official told reporters this week that the “well organized and well funded” SIM network “could text message the entire country within 12 minutes,” per CBS News.

“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 said in a statement, per the release.

The news comes amid the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, and on the same day President Donald Trump is slated to address the gathering.

The Secret Service stated the SIM threats were “concentrated within 35 miles” of the General Assembly, which began on Monday, Sept. 22 and will conclude Monday, Sept. 29.

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A law enforcement official told ABC News the Secret Service discovered the plot while investigating threats aimed at three individuals, one of whom has “direct access to the president.” The investigation — including intent, motive and any potential targets — is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet.

The initial investigation began when threats were made to senior U.S. officials in the spring, per CBS News and ABC News. The latter reported that one law enforcement source said other officials believed the Chinese government was connected to the plot.

“Early analysis indicates that this network was used for communication between foreign governments and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement here in the U.S,” an official told CBS News.

In addition to the vast SIM farms, investigators also found illegal firearms, computers, phones and 80 grams of cocaine, the outlet reported.