Even before details were known about the shooter who killed 19 children and two school faculty at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, fringe media were awash in rumors, conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Some posts incorrectly identified the shooter, while others posited without evidence that the massacre was a government-orchestrated "false flag" operation.
With the tragic events following closely on the heels of another mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., the online discussions reverted to unfounded narratives and scapegoats that have become all too familiar as the country grapples with the continued toll of gun violence.
"This is the worst case scenario. Without a manifesto and a known motive, the speculation is just going to get worse and worse as to what drove the shooter to do it," said Sara Aniano, an extremism researcher who focuses on the rhetoric of the far right on social media. "But it also provides a really fertile ground for more conspiracy theories to sort of accumulate and spread in the information ecosystem."
Just as happened after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and the recent Buffalo shooting, conspiracy theorists aired unfounded claims that the tragedy was the result of a government plot.
On Gab and Telegram and other fringe platforms where the far right gather, many asserted without evidence that it was a "false flag" operation staged by federal authorities to justify tighter control of guns, or to deflect from...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...