Secret Service Busts Massive Telecom Threat Near United Nations

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. Secret Service officials have announced that the agency busted and dismantled a sprawling, covert telecom network that investigators say could have plunged New York into chaos as foreign leaders converged on Manhattan for the 80th UN General Assembly.

Officials shared on Tuesday how they had seized more than 300 SIM servers holding over 100,000 SIM cards across sites within 35 miles of the United Nations headquarters.

The system, agents warned, was capable of jamming 911 calls, collapsing cell connectivity, and flooding networks at the height of one of the city’s most security-sensitive weeks.

This photo provided by the U.S. Secret Service, in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, shows part of a wall of SIM boxes that were seized by the agency. (U.S. Secret Service via AP)

“It can’t be understated what this system is capable of doing,” Matt McCool, head of the Secret Service’s New York field office, told the New York Times.

He added: “It can take down cell towers. 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 … it could be catastrophic to the city.”

While no specific plot against the General Assembly had been uncovered, forensic analysis reportedly suggests the network may have been used to mask communications with cartels and terror groups.

“The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention,” said agency director Sean Curran, who warned that similar networks may still be operating elsewhere.