Pelosi attacker wanted to 'break her kneecaps' - Musk deletes his commentary tweet on the incident
Created: 11/01/2022 10:52 am
By: Victoria Krumbeck
It is allegedly an example of conspiracy theory danger: A man broke into Nancy Pelosi's house and wanted to talk to her about the "truth".
San Francisco/Munich - The attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband was actually aimed at the top US politician herself. The alleged perpetrator intended to take the chair of the US House of Representatives hostage and "break her kneecaps," he told the police according to a released court document.
He wanted to force the Democrat into a wheelchair to show other members of Congress that their "actions have consequences".
He called Pelosi the "leader of a pack" of lies propagated by Democrats.
The attacker broke into the home of Pelosi and her husband in San Francisco on October 28.
The Democrat was in Washington at the time, but the attacker injured 82-year-old Paul Pelosi.
Nancy Pelosi: Attacker attacks husband with a hammer
The federal judiciary had charged the 42-year-old attacker with assault and attempted kidnapping on Monday (October 31).
He is charged with attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer during the burglary.
He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to the hospital.
The victim should not be him, but Pelosi.
"Where's Nancy?" the attacker asked the husband.
He had planned to kidnap the Democrat.
The perpetrator had equipped himself with cable ties, a rope and adhesive tape, as the US Department of Justice explained.
The couple Paul and Nancy Pelosi.
©Ron Sachs/IMAGO
The man is said to have confirmed to investigators the plan to kidnap Pelosi and take her hostage.
According to the indictment documents, the man wanted to talk to her.
If she told the "truth" about it, he would have let her go.
If she were to "lie," which he assumed she was, he would have smashed her kneecap.
What the attacker means by "truth" is unclear.
According to media reports, he is said to be a supporter of conspiracy theories, as he is said to have said during interrogation.
He said the Democrats spread lies.
Pelosi attackers face up to 30 years in prison - Musk shares conspiracy theories on Twitter
The man could face up to 30 years in prison as that's the penalty for assaulting a close relative of a US official.
According to the US Department of Justice, the attempted kidnapping of a US representative can be punished with up to 20 years in prison.
The perpetrator is charged on both counts.
The local judiciary could also bring charges against the man.
The 82-year-old chairwoman of the House of Representatives is number three in the state and thus one of the most important politicians in the USA.
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The attack happened a week and a half before the midterms of Congress on November 8 and caused shocked reactions.
However, it also shows how radically conspiracy theorists can take action.
The man had become radicalized over many years.
He is also said to have shared conspiracy theory entries about the storming of the Capitol, as reported by the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
In the course of the attack, even more conspiracy theories spread, which assume that the attack should have happened differently than described by the authorities.
The new Twitter owner Elon Musk also spread such information.
"There's a tiny possibility that there's more to this story," the
Washington Post
quoted Musk's deleted tweet as saying.
Observers fear violence around midterms given the heated political mood in the USA.
(vk/afp)