US Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Recent Target Of 'Swatting' Attack. Here's What It Means

The South Carolina home of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was the target of a "swatting" incident at the end of last month, a new report has said. According to Reuters, a man claimed to have shot a woman and threatened to harm himself at Ms. Haley's home in Kiawah Island on December 30. Ms Haley, who previously served as South Carolina's governor, and her family were not home at the time of the call. It was later deemed as a fake emergency. 

South Carolina state police, the FBI, and Ms Haley's security team were informed of the event. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies are yet to publicly identify a suspect in the case or make any arrests. 

What is Swatting?

Swatting is the act of contacting police with a false report of an emergency. It involves anonymous people using the addresses of public figures when calling 911 to report fake violent incidents, like murder, and shootings. The goal of the false police report is to elicit a SWAT team response by the police to the target's home.

The incident is the latest in a string of 'swatting' attempts targeting high-profile national figures. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was also targeted by a swatting attempt on Christmas, just days before Ms Haley's home was reportedly targeted. Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state who barred Trump from the state's Republican primary ballot, was also singled out in a similar incident. 

Law enforcement experts see 'swatting' as a form of intimidation or harassment that is increasingly being used to target political figures and officials involved in the civil and criminal cases against Trump. As per Reuters, there have been at least 27 swatting incidents of politicians, prosecutors, election officials, and judges since November 2023. Authorities fear more such incidents will occur ahead of this year's presidential election.

Nikki Haley vs Donald Trump

Notably, Ms Haley is the last standing rival to front-runner Donald Trump in the race to secure the party's nomination to challenge President Joe Biden in November's election. She has lost the first two Republican nominating contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire, but has refused to drop out of the race. 

In recent days, Ms Haley has accused former Trump of being confused and has questioned his ability to be president at his age. Reacting to her attack, Trump on Saturday said he feels "sharper now than I did 20 years ago.'' The former US President and his allies have also begun a campaign to force Ms Haley out of the race before the next major vote in the primary race, in her home state of South Carolina on February 24. 

According to the Washington Post polls, Donald Trump commands a significant lead with 52% support, while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley trails at 34% in the presidential race.