Fake News Could Have Triggered Tragedy At Pizza Shop In Nation’s Capital
Fake news designed to confirm biases is one of the things that props up MLM HYIP scams. Now, such false reports have entered the political realm.
Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., was arrested yesterday in Washington, D.C., on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Police say he fired a shot inside a pizza restaurant and told them he was there “to self-investigate “Pizza Gate” (a fictitious online conspiracy theory).”
“Pizza Gate” involves a conspiracy theory that prominent Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign were involved in sex crimes against children and that the ring used a pizza place as a cover.
From a Metropolitan PD news release dated today about yesterday’s incident at the pizza shop Italics added):
At approximately 2:58 pm, members of the Second District received a call for a man with a firearm. The suspect entered the location and pointed a firearm in the direction of the victim who is an employee of the restaurant. The victim was able to flee and notify police. The suspect proceeded to discharge the rifle inside of the establishment. Members of the Second District responded and arrested the suspect without incident. Two firearms were recovered inside the location. An additional weapon was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle. There were no reported injuries.
The Daily Beast is reporting Welch was a fan of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
.@DCPoliceDept press release on arrest of Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, NC for assault w/dangerous weapon at Comet restaurant. pic.twitter.com/IkSJUeHM2y
— Deputy Mayor Donahue (@SafeDC) December 5, 2016
In the HYIP sphere, hucksters routinely try to sanitize fraud schemes by claiming the endorsements of politicians. False stories about Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama backing online “programs” have circulated for years on the Internet.
After the schemes make the enforcement radar and collapse, the scammers typically claim that the U.S. government grew unhappy because it wasn’t getting a large-enough cut and/or decided to undermine free enterprise to keep workers in chains.