A 25-year-old Philadelphia man, Matthew Gabriel, has pleaded guilty to making false reports of a mass shooting in Norway and a bomb threat at the University of Iowa. Gabriel admitted in court that he falsely accused another member of his fantasy football group chat of planning these violent acts, federal authorities revealed. The guilty plea was made on two counts of interstate and foreign communication of a threat to injure in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

According to the information provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Gabriel sent an anonymous online tip to the Norwegian Police Security Service on August 3, 2023. In the tip, he falsely implicated a group member in planning a mass shooting with multiple individuals involved, intended to take place at a concert and a department store in Norway. The statement further mentioned that Gabriel indicated the individual should have weapons with them and urged authorities to "please be careful."

Subsequently, Gabriel escalated the situation by sending an email containing a screenshot of his fantasy football group chat to the University of Iowa on March 22. The email included an exchange where one member accused another of planning to "blow up the school." The prosecution commented on this act, highlighting that hoax threats are regarded as criminal actions and do not constitute protected speech. In response to his actions, Gabriel faces a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison. However, prosecutors have proposed a sentence of 15 months of home confinement followed by three years of probation. Gabriel is scheduled for sentencing on January 7, 2025, based on records from the court.