Drama at the Kansas City Chiefs parade: the man accused of the killing on social networks… does not exist
Les tirs survenus mercredi à Kansas City lors de la parade de l'équipe locale de football américain célébrant sa victoire au Super Bowl, ont fait un mort et 22 blessés XinHua – Robert Reed
The fake news was launched a few hours after the shooting. This disinformation campaign seems to aim to establish a link between illegal immigration and crime. A politically hot topic, at the heart of the November presidential elections.
"Sahil Omar" is 44 years old, is an illegal immigrant and has a Muslim-sounding name: this man who has been attributed to a whole series of crimes in the United States, the last of which in Kansas City, does not exist in reality probably not.
After the shootings that occurred Wednesday in Kansas City during the parade of the local American football team celebrating its victory in the Super Bowl, which left one dead and 22 injured, many Internet users identified on ) the shooter as being a man named "Omar".
"At least one of the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooters has been identified as Sahil Omar, a 44-year-old illegal immigrant"< /em>, we can read on this social network, without any supporting evidence.
President Joe Biden "failed to protect America from invasion and terrorism" ;, is also written in the message. The rumor was started a few hours after the shooting.
Personal altercation and not a terrorist act
Thursday, while the authorities clarified that a personal altercation and not a terrorist act was at the origin of the shootings, the name "Sahil Omar" was popular on X. However, this is not the first time that this name has been mentioned following a tragedy.
Last month, Internet users on social networks accused the same "Sahil Omar" to be at the origin of an explosion in a hotel in Texas, or of another explosion at Niagara Falls which occurred in November. But this name was not found in any official register by AFP journalists.
Authorities have not identified any suspects
And authorities have not identified any suspects in the Texas explosion, concluding it was a gas leak. This disinformation campaign appears to aim to establish a link between illegal immigration and crime.
The hate messages posted against this so-called "Omar" were often accompanied by criticism of the Democratic administration of Joe Biden and its management of illegal immigration on the United States border with Mexico.
The subject, politically hot, is a major theme of the electoral campaign in view of the presidential election in November.
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