Fact Check: Trump shooter misidentified as ‘ANTIFA Extremist’ Mark Violets
A viral image has wrongly identified Italian sports writer Marco Violi as the Trump shooter.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 16 July 2024 6:39 PM GMT
Claim: Viral image claims to identify former US president Donald Trump shooter as ‘ANTIFA extremist’ Mark Violets.
Fact: The claim is false. The individual in the image is Italian sports writer and video blogger Marco Violi. The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Hyderabad: Former US President Donald Trump was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday night that resulted in the death of a spectator and critically injured two others.
Snipers had shot the 20-year-old assailant after he fired eight rounds at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Amid this incident, an image has gone viral claiming that the Trump shooter was identified as ‘ANTIFA extremist’ Mark Violets.
An X user shared a photo of a person dressed in black attire and sunglasses, with the caption: “BREAKING: Trump shooter identified as ANTIFA extremist Mark Violets. He is now dead. Was this deep state?”
The photo can be seen shared here and here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false.
A reverse image search of the photo led us to identify the person as Italian sports writer and video blogger Marco Violi, from his YouTube channel, Roma Giallorossa TV.
The viral photo’s background matches those seen in Violi’s videos.
A keyword search also revealed that Violi clarified on his official Instagram profile that he was in Rome, Italy, and had no involvement in the incident.
According to the post, Violi is taking legal action against the X accounts and media outlets spreading this false information.
Meanwhile, a report by Reuters confirmed that the FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect.
A report by BBC says that the FBI has stated that Crooks was the "subject involved in the assassination attempt on the former president" and that an active investigation is ongoing.
Hence, the claim that ANTIFA extremist Mark Violets was the Trump rally shooter is false. The individual in the viral photo is Marco Violi, who has no connection to the incident. The actual suspect has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
