Conspiracy theories surge after failed assassination attempt on Trump
After the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the internet was flooded with conspiracy theories. The post on 4chan caused a lot of controversy. Ultimately, this information turned out to be false.
During Donald Trump's election rally on 13 July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, an attempt was made on the former President of the United States. The assailant, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired shots towards Trump. The shots were erratic, leading to the death of one person and the injury of two others. Donald Trump was shot in the ear and was immediately shielded by Secret Service agents. Trump did not suffer any severe injuries, and the 20-year-old assailant was neutralised on the spot by the agents.
Conspiracy theory after the assassination attempt on Trump
A few hours after the incident, a post appeared on the 4chan forum in which an anonymous user, signing as Jonathan Willis, claimed to be a sniper police officer present at the scene. He wrote that he had the assailant in his sights for at least three minutes but did not receive permission to shoot from his superiors.
"My name is Jonathan Willis. I'm the officer in the famous photo of the two snipers on the roof at Trump's rally. I came here to inform the public that I had the assassin in my sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the secret service refused to give the order to take out the perp. 100% the top brass prevented me from killing the assassin before he took the shots at president Trump," he wrote on 4chan.
Fake policeman from 4chan claimed he had the assailant in his sights
The post did not provide any evidence confirming the author's identity. An investigation by Snopes.com, a fact-checking website, revealed that neither the local police nor the state police in Pennsylvania employ a person named Jonathan Willis.
However, the author continued in the thread: "I didn't follow the orders though, as soon as the shooter opened on Trump I returned fire despite strict orders to not engage. I had eyes on the shooter for three minutes watching him fiddle with his rifle and adjust the scope, it was obvious he was a shooter yet I wasn't allowed to engage."
"After I killed the shooter I was arrested, questioned by the FBI, and just released an hour ago. Already lost my job for not following orders, but I'm glad I took the shots anyway," he concluded.
His post was eventually archived by the 4chan service.
The "policeman's" post from 4chan deemed false
Ed Krassenstein, a well-known American political commentator who regularly debunks disinformation on social media, immediately responded to these reports. Krassenstein, who in the past openly criticised Trump, emphasised that there is no evidence to support the claims of the "policeman" from 4chan. He also urged users not to spread unverified information that could further panic and misinformation.
Not only did Snopes determine that the alleged Jonathan Willis story was false, but in an interview with The Independent, a Secret Service spokesperson emphatically denied that anyone with the name Jonathan Willis worked at the agency and stated that the claims made in the 4chan post are false.
The local police in Butler and the state police in Pennsylvania also confirmed that no person named Jonathan Willis is employed in their structures. These official denials only confirm that the post on 4chan was just another attempt to spread baseless conspiracy theories.
