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A 25-year-old Philadelphia man is facing up to five years in prison after he faked both a bomb threat in Norway and a mass shooting in Iowa as revenge for an online fight with a member of his fantasy football league.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The U.S. Department of Justice shared Wednesday that Matthew Gabriel, 25, learned that a member of his league with which is had a disagreement was going to study abroad in Norway in August of 2023.
So he concocted a plan.
Gabriel submitted an anonymous “tip” to Norwegian police claiming that the other member of his league was going to commit an act of terrorism.
“On August 15th a man named [Victim 1] is headed around Oslo and has a shooting planned with multiple people on his side involved. they plan to take as many as they can at a concert and then head to a department store,” Gabriel reportedly told police. “I don’t know any more people then that, I just can’t have random people dying on my conscience. he plans to arrive there unarmed spend a couple days normal and then execute the attack. please be ready. he is around a 5 foot 7 read head coming from America, on the 10th or 11th I believe. he should have weapons with him. please be careful.”
Man Who Faked Bomb Threat Over Fantasy Football Also Faked Mass Shooting
Both Norwegian and American law enforcement officials spent days investigating. But Gabriel eventually informed the FBI that he had falsified the allegation.
However, that didn’t slow him down.
On March 22, 2024, he attempted a similar plot while posing as a University of Iowa student.
“Hello, I saw this in a group chat I’m in and just want to make sure everyone is safe and fine. I don’t want anything bad to happen to any body. Thank you. A man named [PERSON 1] from I believe Nebraska sent this, and I want to make sure that it is a joke and no one will get hurt,“ he wrote in an email with the subject line “Possible Threat.”
Gabriel then attached a screenshot from his fantasy football league chat that said “Hello University of Iowa a man named [Victim 1] told me he was gonna blow up the school.”
Gabriel later stated he knew there was no threat. The message he shared was sent in jest by another member of the fantasy football group regarding his earlier threat in Norway.
We’ve seen some wild stories come out of fantasy football leagues in the past. But this one might just take the caek.