Another Antisemitic Attack, Another ‘False Flag’ Claim
PLUS: Myth That Biden Died in 2020 Boosted by Trump; Vaccines Don’t Send Bluetooth Signals
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Today’s claims include the conspiracy theory that the weekend attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado was a “false flag”; that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone; and that vaccines contain microchips that emit Bluetooth signals — so that we can all be tracked, presumably.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Sofia Rubinson and Eric Effron.
1. Colorado Attack Labeled ‘False Flag’ by Anti-Israel Accounts
What happened: Anti-Israel social media users are claiming that the June 1 attack at a Boulder, Colorado, rally in support of Israeli hostages was a “false flag” staged by Israel to gain sympathy and deflect criticism over its treatment of Palestinians.
This claim fits into a broader pattern of social media accounts falsely blaming anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents on Israel itself.
A closer look: Almost immediately after news broke that a man had thrown Molotov cocktails into a crowd rallying for Israeli hostages in Gaza — an attack that left eight people hospitalized with burns and other injuries — accounts that frequently post anti-Israel or anti-Jewish content claimed that the assault was orchestrated by Israel.
Far-right commentator Stew Peters posted on June 1: “False flag attack just occurred on a pro-Israel protest in Boulder, Colorado. These ‘attacks’ will continue until all those deemed antisemitic under the IHRA’s [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] ever-evolving definition are jailed and/or silenced.” The post garnered 99,400 views and 2,800 in less than one day.
Shortly after the attack, anti-Israel X user Noctis Draven posted: “Make a big scene, don’t run, show face, make sure you are recorded and let the world see… The goal? More Muslim hate, more censorship for speech against Israel, Jews and their Zionists slaves. They are so predictable, so damn obvious.” The post received 96,000 views and 4,300 in under one day.
Actually: It is baseless to claim that this attack was a “false flag.”
One day after the attack, authorities charged 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman with a federal hate crime, and he faces multiple state charges, including use of an incendiary device. The attack is also being investigated by the FBI as a targeted act of terrorism. Federal investigators alleged that Soliman planned the attack for a year and that he said after his arrest that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” according to court documents. Soliman allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to the FBI.
Soliman is an Egyptian citizen who entered the U.S. in August 2022 and stayed in the country illegally after his visa expired in February 2023, according to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Same playbook: This event is one of several recent anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents that have launched “false flag” conspiracy theories.
Just last week, anti-Israel social media users falsely claimed that the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers was a “false flag.” And in April, many of these same accounts baselessly claimed that the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence was faked to generate sympathy for Israel.
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2. Trump Amplifies Biden Clone Claim
By Sam Howard
What happened: A conspiracy theory that former President Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced by a clone has gone viral on X, boosted by President Donald Trump, who shared the claim on Truth Social over the weekend.
A closer look: The claim that a clone filled in for Biden started at least as early as November 2020, but got a new jolt after Trump reposted it on his social media platform Truth Social.
On May 31, Trump posted a link to a little-noticed Truth Social post that stated: “There is no #JoeBiden - executed in 2020. #Biden clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities are what you see. >#Democrats dont know the difference.” Trump did not comment on the post or explain why he was sharing it.
Trump’s post received 15,000 reposts and 38,000 likes in two days and led to a flood of posts on other social media platforms.
The next day, a former top Trump campaign advisor, Jason Miller, posted a 2023 video of Biden appearing to look tired when answering a reporter’s question and added the caption, “Clearly a clone.” The post garnered 257,600 views and 5,000 likes in less than a day.
Websites that NewsGuard has found to frequently publish false claims about U.S. politics, including Liberty Beacon (NewsGuard Trust Score: 12.5/100) and 100PercentFedUp.com (Trust Score: 0/100), also posted articles advancing the claim.
Actually: It is completely baseless to claim that Biden was executed in 2020.
While it is unclear how serious Trump or Miller were in advancing the Biden clone theory, their posts have validated claims by others who appear to believe it.
For example, the 100 Percent Fed Up article was headlined “BOMBSHELL — President Trump Confirms: Joe Biden Dead Since 2020!” and included an editor’s note that stated: “The headline above is real and not an exaggeration. Stick with me, I’ll prove it to you. We don’t resort to hyperbole or Fake News around here because…we don’t have to. The truth is often stranger than fiction, and that’s definitely the category for this report.”
The Trump White House did not respond to an emailed request for comment on Trump’s post. Miller, a principal at political consulting firm SHW Partners, did not address NewsGuard’s questions in a June 2 email exchange, and instead raised questions about NewsGuard’s fairness.
Click here to find out more about NewsGuard Trust Scores and our process for rating websites. You can download NewsGuard’s browser extension, which displays NewsGuard Trust Score icons next to links on search engines, social media feeds, and other platforms by clicking here.
3. No, Vaccinated People Do Not Emit Bluetooth Signals
By Elisa Xu
What happened: Anti-vaccine social media accounts are spreading the baseless claim that vaccinated people emit Bluetooth signals, building off a long-lasting conspiracy theory that vaccines are embedded with microchips that aim to control and monitor people.