"BREAKING NOW: Environmental scientists that were heading to East Palestine, Ohio killed plane crash," says a February 22, 2023 tweet from Chuck Callesto, a former Republican congressional candidate from Florida.
The post includes footage of authorities responding to a plane crash coupled with screenshots of news clips about the February 3 train derailment. The video accumulated more than 4.4 million views.
Screenshot of a tweet taken March 1, 2023
Stew Peters, a radio host who has previously promoted conspiracy theories, and social media users on Facebook and Instagram shared similar claims. The posts say the scientists were traveling to investigate the aftermath of the train accident, which set off a days-long fire and the release of hazardous chemicals.
On TikTok, a video with more than 722,000 views implied foul play in the plane crash. Others insinuated the plane was sabotaged to cover up malpractice related to the derailment, contributing to broader conspiracies that the event was intentional.
Those allegations are false -- the passengers were traveling to Ohio for an unrelated investigation.
On February 22, a twin-engine plane ...
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