Perhaps a good defense, but the target of the article didn't get into an internet argument with anyone, and he's still been targeted. Have to stay off the internet entirely.
The article doesn't discuss it, and I'm also wary of getting into it too much because it sounds like victim blaming, but the man from the article gets into internet arguments pretty much constantly. He's kept the attention of his various trolls by repeatedly engaging them.
Of course, arguing on the internet does not excuse trying to get him killed by the police. It does however provide important context on how to avoid getting swatted yourself.
If you're getting attacked by internet strangers with no empathy and a desire to hurt you for kicks then it's probably pretty effective to leave the internet, and if you can't leave the internet you can still stop talking to them. This is not a justification for their actions in any way. Still, the article implicitly leans into the It Could Happen To You angle, and it's very unlikely to happen to someone who doesn't get into internet arguments under their real name when their personal income is also at stake.
I have no idea what language the people attacking him use. "Don't feed the trolls" is a decades old aphorism by now. It works. Most of us don't need to be afraid - to let the Intercept and a 17 year old with a telegram channel add another source of fear to our lives.
