Armed Man Targets D.C. Restaurant That Faced Violent Threats Because Of Fake News Pushed By The Right

WASHINGTON A jarring incident at a restaurant that has faced violent threats because of an unfounded and preposterous conspiracy theory raises concerns about the real-world consequences of spreading fake news stories.

Washington, D.C., police on Sunday afternoon detained a man armed with an assault rifle at Comet Ping Pong, a popular pizza restaurant in a busy neighborhood of the city.

According to police, the man, later identified as Edgar Maddison Welch, from Salisbury, North Carolina, entered the restaurant with what police described as an assault rifle; there were conflicting reports of gunshots. There were no injuries, but police locked down the surrounding block, which includes other restaurants and shops, including a popular bookstore, Politics and Prose.

Police lock down Politics and Prose Bookstore in NW DC. searching for something. pic.twitter.com/q3bVxeiMxP

Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Eric Lipton","author_url":"https://twitter.com/EricLiptonNYT","cache_age":86400,"description":"Police lock down Politics and Prose Bookstore in NW DC. searching for something. pic.twitter.com/q3bVxeiMxP— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Eric Lipton on 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Police lock down Politics and Prose Bookstore in NW DC. searching for something. pic.twitter.com/q3bVxeiMxP
Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016

Everyone at Politics and Prose is locked in the bookstore, awaiting all clear from the police https://t.co/4WFDAeRWXr

Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Eric Lipton","author_url":"https://twitter.com/EricLiptonNYT","cache_age":86400,"description":"Everyone at Politics and Prose is locked in the bookstore, awaiting all clear from the police https://t.co/4WFDAeRWXr— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Eric Lipton on 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Everyone at Politics and Prose is locked in the bookstore, awaiting all clear from the police https://t.co/4WFDAeRWXr
Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 4, 2016

There was an armed gunman at Comet Pong Pong. All stores on block are on lockdown.

Little Red Fox (@littleredfoxdc) December 4, 2016","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Little Red Fox","author_url":"https://twitter.com/littleredfoxdc","cache_age":86400,"description":"There was an armed gunman at Comet Pong Pong. 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There was an armed gunman at Comet Pong Pong. All stores on block are on lockdown.
Little Red Fox (@littleredfoxdc) December 4, 2016

The restaurant has been the subject of death threats originating from a false right-wing conspiracy theory alleging that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and campaign chairman John Podesta ran a child sex trafficking ring in the back of the restaurant.

Welch wanted to self-investigate the conspiracy theory, known as Pizzagate, police said.

There is no evidence of the disturbing claim, but it quickly spread through fake news stories on right-wing websites and circulated on social media. Among those tweeting a spurious story alleging Clintons sex crimes to his more than 100,000 followers, was Gen. Mike Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump s appointee for national security adviser.