HOUSTON – The Houston division of the FBI says it is aware of a “crisis event” Craigslist post that went viral on social media.
“Law Enforcement is aware of social media posts calling for actors to participate in a mock crisis event on 3/4/18. Some have interpreted these posts as a possible threat. It has been determined there is no credible threat to the Houston area at this time #HouNews #seesay,” the FBI tweeted Thursday.
The Craigslist post in question first appeared Feb. 21. The poster requested the need for 16 actors for a “mass casualty event” to take place on March 4. The posting, however, was removed from Craigslist about 24 hours later but not before several concerned citizens took screenshots of it.
The post, and ones similar to it for other cities, then went viral in various Facebook posts, including a video where a woman read the claims out loud to alert the public. Despite the concerns, the FBI states "there is no credible threat to the Houston area at this time."
Similar rumors and social media threats have gone viral at schools and other public places since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Along with the threats come “conspiracy theories, smear campaigns, hoaxes or Internet harassment designed to shut down or impair free speech,” writes USA TODAY’s Alicia Shepard.
Shepard and others have called out bullies and activists who have labeled several school shooting survivors, including 17-year-old David Hogg, as “crisis actors” who are said to be “a stooge of the Left, hoodwinked by nefarious liberals aching to repeal the Second Amendment.”
