A Wethersfield man charged by police last week for his role in a bomb threat made to the University of Connecticut is now facing federal charges alleging he was part of a group of Microsoft Xbox gamers who made a series of threats to other schools and locations throughout the U.S.

Matthew Tollis, 21, was arrested Wednesday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with participating in at least six “swatting” incidents that occurred earlier this year in Connecticut and other states, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Swatting,” as described by federal officials, is “the act of making a hoax call to any emergency service to elicit an emergency response based on the false report of an ongoing critical incident.” The response often includes a SWAT team.

The FBI criminal complaint in the case alleges that Tollis was a member of a group of gamers who referred to themselves as “TCOD” (TeAM CrucifiX or Die). The group, with other members based in the United Kingdom, used Internet-based Skype to make hoax threats involving bombs, hostage taking, firearms and mass murder, the FBI alleges.

Tollis was charged by university police last week in connection with the April 3 bomb threat to UConn’s Admissions Department that resulted in a campuswide lockdown and called in the state’s bomb squad and SWAT teams. The caller in that case stated that plastic explosives were placed in the admissions building in order to kill people.

University police later tracked Tollis through a Twitter discussion about the event.

Tollis claims his association with the group “TCOD” started after he was bullied online. The group is allegedly responsible for multiple swatting incidents including another threat made to UConn on Aug. 18 and an April 15 call to Willimantic police where the caller reported he had just shot his mother. Local schools, including Windham High School and Eastern Connecticut State University, were placed in lockdown during the police response.

The FBI said that in the Willimantic case, a juvenile paid a member of the gaming group to “swat” that particular location.

Other fake threats were made to Boston University, Harvard University and Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a caller told an employee “he was coming to the school in 50 minutes with an assault rifle,” according to the FBI complaint.

“All of us in law enforcement are committed to exposing the individuals responsible for these swatting incidents and prosecuting them to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly in a written statement. “These events cause emotional distress for victims and waste the valuable time and resources of our law enforcement community.”

The FBI said it is working with authorities in the U.K. to identify other members of the group.

The criminal complaint charges Tollis with one count of conspiring to engage in a bomb threat hoax, one count of aiding and abetting a bomb threat hoax and one count of aiding and abetting the malicious conveying of false information. Each of these charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Tollis was detained following his appearance Wednesday in Bridgeport federal court. A detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.

g.smith@theday.com

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SMITTYBAY