The Navy Yard shooting in Washington, D.C., has already spurned conspiracy theories, with radio host Alex Jones leading the way.
In the hours after the attack, Jones speculated that the Navy Yard shooting may have been a false flag attack committed by government agents disguised as shooters in order to put into effect new policies restricting personal liberties.
Jones promoted his Navy Yard shooting conspiracy theory on Twitter, writing , “Who will the Navy yard shooting be blamed on? Terrorist? Tea Partier? Leftist? Lone nut?”
He elaborated more on his theory saying “when you have multiple shooters like this, it has patsy written all over it.”
Reports are still hazy on the details of the Navy Yard shooting, but police have said one gunman has been killed and the search is on for two other possible suspects. There is no confirmation of whether multiple shooters were involved in the attack.
Alex Jones has been known to spin conspiracy theories about large-scale attacks on American soil. In April he said the Boston Marathon bombing also had the markings of a false flag attack perpetrated by the US government. Jones said the true intention of the bombing was to expand the Transportation Security Administration’s reach to sporting events, though this never came to pass.
Jones once posited a theory that the Department of Homeland Security was stockpiling weapons and ammunition to either overthrow the United States government or keep citizens from owning guns. He also accused the government of manipulating weather patterns to devastate Moore, Oklahoma, with tornadoes.
Alex Jones’ Navy Yard shooting conspiracy theory has brought about strong reactions online. While many followers have tweeted in support of him, others called the allegations that the shooting was a false flag attack “disgusting” and accused Jones of being little more than a media hustler.