Originally published May 9, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
On Tuesday, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has expressed skepticism over recent claims surrounding the shooter behind the Allen, Texas mall tragedy.
This comes after Bellingcat journalist Aric Toler shared images on Twitter from a Russian social media account alleged to belong to the mall shooter, Mauricio Garcia, The Gateway Pundit (TGP) points out.
Bellingcat is a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specializes in what it considers to be fact-checking as well as open-source intelligence (OSINT).
In recent years, Bellingcat has faced accusations of being supported by U.S. intelligence agencies, TGP points out.
Toler’s findings indicate that Garcia’s OK.RU profile showcased various images of Nazi symbols and alluded to podcaster Tim Pool and the founder of Libs of TikTok.
However, Musk has publicly questioned the veracity of these claims.
In a tweet, he stated, “Didn’t the story come from Bellingcat, which literally specializes in psychological operations?”
Continuing his critique, Musk tweeted, “I don’t want to hurt their feelings, but this is either the weirdest story ever or a very bad psyop!”
In his thread, Toler highlighted that the shooter appeared to be a fan of both Tim Pool and the founder of Libs of TikTok.
However, others on Twitter, such as The Redheaded Libertarian, found it peculiar that a supposed neo-Nazi would idolize Chaya Raichik, the founder of Libs of TikTok, and Tim Pool, who identifies himself as a centrist.
Musk also found this connection to be “strange.”
On Saturday, a shooter targeted the Allen Premium Outlets, a bustling open-air shopping center approximately 25 miles north of Dallas, resulting in the death of eight individuals and at least seven more being injured.
The attacker, Mauricio Garcia, was fatally shot by a law enforcement officer at the site.
Although the motive behind the assault remains uncertain, authorities are scrutinizing racially charged social media content allegedly linked to the shooter.
