The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct anonymous threats against senior U.S. government officials, the agency said in a Sept. 23 statement.
The devices—an assortment of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards spread across multiple sites—were discovered to be concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the U.N. General Assembly currently underway in New York City.
World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are expected to speak at the event.
The electronic devices presented an imminent threat to the Secret Service’s protective operations, and could have been used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks, such as disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial-of-services attacks, and facilitating encrypted communication between potential threat actors, the agency said.
“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. “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 remains ongoing, with initial examination of these devices pointing to nation-state threat actors and individuals who are known to federal law enforcement.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Secret Service for more information on the latest threat, but did not receive a response by publication time.
The New York Police Department is assisting the investigation along with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and other law enforcement partners.
“It can’t be understated what this system is capable of doing,” said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office.“It can take down cell towers, so then no longer can people communicate, right? … You can’t text message, you can’t use your cell phone. And if you coupled that with some sort of other event associated with UNGA, you know, use your imagination there, it could be catastrophic to the city.”
Officials said they haven’t uncovered a direct plot to disrupt the U.N. General Assembly and noted there are no known credible threats to New York City.
Agents found rows of servers and shelves stacked with SIM cards at the site. More than 100,000 were already activated, with others waiting to be deployed.
McCool described the operation as a well-funded, highly organized enterprise, one that cost millions of dollars in hardware and SIM cards alone. The operation had the capability of sending up to 30 million text messages a minute, he said.
The 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly’s General Debate will run until Sept. 29.
Increase in Domestic Security
Following the Charlie Kirk assassination on Sept. 10, the U.S. House of Representatives increased security funding for members.
It allows monthly allotment of $10,000 to House members for personal security, and up to $20,000 for comprehensive security equipment to be installed at their personal residences.
The latest security allotments build upon earlier programs to upgrade security at members’ primary residences and during official travels.
The White House has requested an additional $58 million for security for the executive and judicial branches following the assassination.
Nearly $900 million has been requested by the judiciary for courthouse security, an increase of 9.3 percent over the initial 2025 budget allocation.
“Much of the requested increase is necessary to maintain current services, which include meeting government-wide obligations to fund previously-enacted federal employee pay increases and required adjustments to employee health benefit contributions; addressing non-pay inflation; and maintaining or replacing existing and outdated judicial facilities and infrastructure,” the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts stated.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
