After shots rang out at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on 13 July, social media became a hotbed for claims, counter-claims and conspiracy theories.
Images of a bloodied Donald Trump raising his fist would lead news coverage in the days after the attempted assassination attempt, which killed attendee Corey Comperatore. At the time of writing two others are in a serious condition.
The FBI named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the “subject involved”. He was shot dead at the scene.
World leaders including President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Keir Starmer were quick to condemn the attack on Mr Trump, which left him with a wound but no stitches to his right ear, according to his son Eric.
But online, many people were sharing their own theories as to what had occurred. We have fact checked several of these, and found them to be false—distorting real events, sometimes by using photo editing tools like Photoshop, and fabricating misleading narratives.
It’s not the first time that an act like this has become a magnet for conspiracy theories, for example President John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 spawned a raft of conspiracy theories, which continue to circulate today on social media.
Full Fact has written an in-depth report looking into why people believe conspiracy theories, which often circulate when shocking events occur.
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