The main suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, was detained by police on Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a customer recognized him from surveillance images.
Mangione, 26, was initially arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm and other charges. After a court appearance on Monday, he’s facing murder charges over Thompson’s death that occurred on December 4 in New York City, charges which his attorney has said he will be pleading not guilty to.
Thompson’s murder has captured the nation, for its brutal nature in part, and for the anger and frustration many have toward the American health insurance system. The case has sent people on social media into a complete frenzy, with users posting all kinds of supportive content about Mangione. Fundraisers have also been created to help him with his legal fees.
One recent social media post showed what was purported to be an entire high school walking out in support of the suspected shooter.
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, on December 12 from the account “Escalate Network” included a screengrab of what appears to be a TikTok video, showing people walking down the street.
The image had the text overlay that read, “Walkout for Luigi. We will not be silenced.”
The X post, which has so far been viewed over 370,000 times, stated: “High school students across the country have been walking out of class in solidarity with Luigi Mangione, alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin.”
The Facts
The post is not real.
There has been no wider reporting about the post, which would likely be the case if it were real. The post is just of a group of high school students walking and there are no contextual links to Mangione.
The screengrab of the post appears to be from TikTok. The claim had also been shared on the social media platform Threads, and in that post, there is a visible TikTok handle, showing where the video had initiated from.
This handle is @ambum.stone. The original video has since been deleted, but the most recent post from the account is captioned, “Don’t believe everything you see on TikTok guys.”
The post, which is an image of a stone, has the text overlay, “Hey guys I don’t know what comments are about a video getting taken down. Please keep this account to Ambum Stone only. And be sure to be aware of the misinformation on the internet and check multiple sources it’s really important anyone can lie about anything on the internet.”
The bio for @ambum.stone’s account reads: Please do research before liking sketchy news from random edit accounts.
The Ruling
False.
There was no walkout in support of Luigi Mangione. There is no evidence of the claims. The initial claim came from a source that is not reputable.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team
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Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Newsweek fact checks a claim that a high school walked out in support of Mangione. Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Newsweek fact checks a claim that a high school walked out in support of Mangione. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
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