A massive manhunt in Maine is still ongoing as of Friday, Oct. 27, as law enforcement searches for 40-year-old Robert Card. Card, an Army reservist, is accused of killing 18 people and wounding more than a dozen others in a mass shooting on Oct. 25 in Lewiston.
Police say Card shot numerous victims inside a bowling alley and a restaurant. Investigators then found Card’s vehicle at a boat dock and have advised residents of Lewiston and nearby communities to shelter in place.
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Authorities believe Card could be in a 15-foot lake boat. The Coast Guard dispatched a vessel and a plane to search the waterways, and investigators deployed divers and sonar equipment to either find a body or more evidence connected to Card.
“I think that every minute that this goes on, we’re more and more concerned, you know, because what’s the next thing that’s going to happen?” Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of Maine’s Department of Public Safety, said during a news conference. “And we understand that, and that’s why we’re working 24/7 to bring this individual to justice and to try to bring some closure and some overall safety to our communities.”
Meanwhile, all kinds of rumors and speculation are spreading on social media. Numerous verified accounts on X made posts claiming the Maine shooting was a “false flag.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a false flag is “a term used by conspiracy theorists to suggest that various world events and crises, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, were actually orchestrated by governments or sinister forces in furtherance of a political or social goal, such as gun control or sowing public fear.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 23, one day before the Maine mass shooting, Vice President Kamala Harris posted on X: “Congress must pass an assault weapons ban. President Joe Biden will sign it.”
Wednesday night, just hours after the mass shooting, Laura Loomer, a popular podcaster with more 635,000 followers posted in response to Harris.
“1 day ago. Interesting. And tomorrow @JoeBiden is giving a speech on a proposal for an assault weapons ban at 1 pm EST? Wow. Interesting timing with what just happened in Lewiston, Maine tonight. Imagine that,” Loomer wrote.
Shadow of Ezra, another verified account on X with more than 143,000 followers, also posted to the social media platform.
“FBI just staged another shooting. All major shooters end up having connections to the FBI.”
Mandy AMC, a self-proclaimed “conspiracy realist” with a verified X account, posted a poll to the platform asking thousands of her followers if they believe the Maine shooting was a false flag event. According to the results, 45% of respondents said “yes.”
Community Notes, a feature on X used to add context to misleading information, did not appear on any of the posts.
Canadian authorities are deploying more resources to its border with the United States, as the area remains on high alert for the suspected gunman.
Investigators say they found a note while serving a search warrant on Card’s house Thursday night but would not disclose its contents.
Tags: Anti-Defamation League, conspiracy theories, Kamala Harris, Maine, Mass shootings, Misinformation, Social Media, U.S. Coast Guard, X
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A MASSIVE MANHUNT CONTINUED FRIDAY IN MAINE – AS LAW ENFORCEMENT SEARCHES FOR 40-YEAR-OLD ROBERT CARD – AN ARMY RESERVIST ACCUSED OF KILLING 18 PEOPLE AND WOUNDING MORE THAN A DOZEN OTHERS IN A MASS SHOOTING WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN LEWISTON, MAINE.
POLICE SAY CARD SHOT NUMEROUS VICTIMS INSIDE A BOWLING ALLEY AND ALSO A RESTAURANT. INVESTIGATORS THEN FOUND CARD’S VEHICLE AT A BOAT DOCK AND HAVE ADVISED RESIDENTS OF LEWISTON AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES TO SHELTER-IN-PLACE.
AUTHORITIES BELIEVE CARD could be IN A 15-FOOT LAKE BOAT.
THE COAST GUARD DISPATCHED A VESSEL – AND A PLANE – TO SEARCH THE WATERWAYS… AND INVESTIGATORS DEPLOYED DIVERS AND SONAR EQUIPMENT TO EITHER FIND A BODY OR MORE EVIDENCE CONNECTED TO CARD.
(COMMISSIONER MICHAEL SAUSCHUCK / MAINE DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY)
“I THINK THAT UH, EVERY MINUTE THAT THIS GOES ON, UH WE’RE MORE AND MORE CONCERNED , YA KNOW, BECAUSE WHAT’S THE NEXT THING THAT’S GONNA HAPPEN? AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE WORKING 24/7 TO BRING THIS INDIVIDUAL TO JUSTICE AND TO TRY TO BRING SOME CLOSURE AND SOME OVERALL SAFETY TO OUR COMMUNITIES.”
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MEANWHILE – ALL KINDS OF RUMORS AND SPECULATION ARE SPREADING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. NUMEROUS VERIFIED ACCOUNTS ON ‘X’ – MADE POSTS CLAIMING THE MAINE SHOOTING WAS A “FALSE FLAG”
ACCORDING TO THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE – A FALSE FLAG IS A TERM USED BY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS TO SUGGEST THAT “various world events and crises, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, were actually orchestrated by governments or sinister forces in furtherance of a political or social goal, such as gun control or sowing public fear.”
ON TUESDAY – ONE DAY BEFORE THE MAINE MASS SHOOTING…
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS POSTED ON X – SAYING “CONGRESS MUST PASS AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN… PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WILL SIGN IT.”
THEN ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT – JUST HOURS AFTER THE MASS SHOOTING – LAURA LOOMER – A POPULAR PODCASTER WITH MORE 635-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS – POSTED IN RESPONSE TO HARRIS – SAYING… “AND TOMORROW PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS GIVING A SPEECH ON A PROPOSAL FOR AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN?… WOW. INTERESTING TIMING WITH WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN LEWISTON, MAINE TONIGHT. IMAGINE THAT.”
SHADOW OF EZRA – ANOTHER VERIFIED ACCOUNT ON ‘X’ WITH MORE THAN 143-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS – ALSO POSTED SAYING… “F-B-I JUST STAGED ANOTHER SHOOTING. ALL MAJOR SHOOTERS END UP HAVING CONNECTIONS TO THE F-B-I”
AND MANDY A-M-C – A SELF-PROCLAIMED “CONSPIRACY REALIST” WITH A VERIFIED X ACCOUNT – POSTED A POLL ON THE PLATFORM – ASKING HER MORE THAN 45-HUNDRED FOLLOWERS IF THEY BELIEVE THE MAINE SHOOTING WAS A FALSE FLAG EVENT.
45-PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID “YES”.
COMMUNITY NOTES – WHICH ARE USED BY ‘X’ TO ADD CONTEXT TO MISLEADING INFORMATION – did not appear ON ANY OF THE POSTS.
UNTIL AUTHORITIES APPREHEND ROBERT CARD –
SOME SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS – WILL CONTINUE POSTING UNVERIFIED AND UNVETTED INFORMATION.
THIS AS CANADIAN AUTHORITIES DEPLOY MORE RESOURCES TO ITS BORDER WITH THE UNITED STATES – AS THE AREA REMAINS ON HIGH ALERT FOR THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN.
INVESTIGATORS SAY – THEY FOUND A NOTE AT CARD’S HOUSE THURSDAY NIGHT…
BUT WOULD NOT DISCLOSE ITS CONTENTS.
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