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| False ISIS Connections, Nonexistent Victims and Other Misinformation in the Wake of Las Vegas Shooting | False ISIS Connections, Nonexistent Victims and Other Misinformation in the Wake of Las Vegas Shooting |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Rumors and conspiracies have proliferated in the aftermath of the Sunday night shooting at a Las Vegas music festival that left at least 59 dead. Viral falsehoods include: false allegations about the gunman, a person of interest and Nevada’s gun control laws. More below. | |
| Before the police named Stephen Paddock as the gunman, some bloggers and social media users incorrectly pointed to a man named Geary Danley as the “murderer.” In a now deleted post, the right-wing blog The Gateway Pundit called Mr. Danley “a far left loon” and noted that he had followed several pages dedicated to liberal politics on Facebook. | Before the police named Stephen Paddock as the gunman, some bloggers and social media users incorrectly pointed to a man named Geary Danley as the “murderer.” In a now deleted post, the right-wing blog The Gateway Pundit called Mr. Danley “a far left loon” and noted that he had followed several pages dedicated to liberal politics on Facebook. |
| All of these claims are untrue. | All of these claims are untrue. |
| The unfounded rumors appear to have originated on the anonymous messaging board 4chan. | The unfounded rumors appear to have originated on the anonymous messaging board 4chan. |
| ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and said the gunman had recently converted to Islam. But an FBI spokesman has said there is no proof so far that Mr. Paddock had any ties to international terrorist groups. | ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and said the gunman had recently converted to Islam. But an FBI spokesman has said there is no proof so far that Mr. Paddock had any ties to international terrorist groups. |
| Still, some social media accounts spread the unfounded claims that Mr. Paddock has been radicalized. | Still, some social media accounts spread the unfounded claims that Mr. Paddock has been radicalized. |
| The New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, who has covered ISIS for several years, noted on Twitter that the organization has incorrectly claimed responsibility for two recent attacks, casting further down on any assertion of an ISIS connection. | The New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, who has covered ISIS for several years, noted on Twitter that the organization has incorrectly claimed responsibility for two recent attacks, casting further down on any assertion of an ISIS connection. |
| Additionally, Graeme Wood, who has reported on ISIS for The Atlantic, noted that Mr. Paddock was a gambler and had committed suicide, actions that are at odds with ISIS’ ideology. | Additionally, Graeme Wood, who has reported on ISIS for The Atlantic, noted that Mr. Paddock was a gambler and had committed suicide, actions that are at odds with ISIS’ ideology. |
| Facebook and Twitter users have connected Marilou Danley, a woman whom law enforcement officials initially described as a “companion” of the gunman, with a viral video to suggest that she knew in advance the shooting would happen and was perhaps complicit in it. In the video, an unnamed concertgoer recounted her experience with two people who she said had told a group, “You’re all going to die,” before being escorted out of the concert. | Facebook and Twitter users have connected Marilou Danley, a woman whom law enforcement officials initially described as a “companion” of the gunman, with a viral video to suggest that she knew in advance the shooting would happen and was perhaps complicit in it. In the video, an unnamed concertgoer recounted her experience with two people who she said had told a group, “You’re all going to die,” before being escorted out of the concert. |
| There is no evidence in the video that Ms. Danley had been identified by the witness. The police have since said that Ms. Danley was out of the country at the time of the shooting and is no longer a person of interest. | There is no evidence in the video that Ms. Danley had been identified by the witness. The police have since said that Ms. Danley was out of the country at the time of the shooting and is no longer a person of interest. |
| As has become common in the aftermath of an event with unidentified victims, social media has been a tangled web of users expressing legitimate concern for missing loved ones and pranksters polluting social streams with fakery. | As has become common in the aftermath of an event with unidentified victims, social media has been a tangled web of users expressing legitimate concern for missing loved ones and pranksters polluting social streams with fakery. |
| Several news outlets have done a fine job flagging fakes that include pranksters repurposing the photos of a German soccer player, a murder suspect in Mexico, a porn star and random social media stars. In a telling exchange, Gianluca Mezzofiere of Mashable reached out to the operator of one Twitter account sharing misinformation and reported the following: | Several news outlets have done a fine job flagging fakes that include pranksters repurposing the photos of a German soccer player, a murder suspect in Mexico, a porn star and random social media stars. In a telling exchange, Gianluca Mezzofiere of Mashable reached out to the operator of one Twitter account sharing misinformation and reported the following: |
| Some inaccurate claims have popped up in post-shooting debates over gun control. Some are asserting that automatic weapons are “already illegal” in Las Vegas. | Some inaccurate claims have popped up in post-shooting debates over gun control. Some are asserting that automatic weapons are “already illegal” in Las Vegas. |
| That’s not exactly true. To start, it’s not yet known what kind of weapons Mr. Paddock used. Police reports suggest he had at least 10. The rapid pace at which he fired has led to informed speculation that at least one weapon may have been fully automatic, like a machine gun. But nothing had been confirmed by the time these messages were posted to social media. | That’s not exactly true. To start, it’s not yet known what kind of weapons Mr. Paddock used. Police reports suggest he had at least 10. The rapid pace at which he fired has led to informed speculation that at least one weapon may have been fully automatic, like a machine gun. But nothing had been confirmed by the time these messages were posted to social media. |
| Also, while it’s true that a provision of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 banned civilian purchases of machine guns across the country, the provision also grandfathered in weapons that were made and registered before May 19, 1986. In response to a recent Freedom of Information Act request, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives counted some 175,000 transferable machine guns in the national registry as of December 2015. | Also, while it’s true that a provision of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 banned civilian purchases of machine guns across the country, the provision also grandfathered in weapons that were made and registered before May 19, 1986. In response to a recent Freedom of Information Act request, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives counted some 175,000 transferable machine guns in the national registry as of December 2015. |
| Several states, like Iowa and Hawaii, have restrictions on the possession of machine guns in addition to the 1986 law. But there are none in Nevada, according to the National Rifle Association, where “it is lawful to possess, purchase or sell a machine gun or silencer that is legally registered and possessed in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.” | Several states, like Iowa and Hawaii, have restrictions on the possession of machine guns in addition to the 1986 law. But there are none in Nevada, according to the National Rifle Association, where “it is lawful to possess, purchase or sell a machine gun or silencer that is legally registered and possessed in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.” |
| Are you seeing other questionable information about the shooting in Las Vegas? If so, please send us an email at factcheck@nytimes.com | Are you seeing other questionable information about the shooting in Las Vegas? If so, please send us an email at factcheck@nytimes.com |