Gunman storms into DC pizzeria and opens fire demanding to know 'the truth' about pizza-gate conspiracy theory story claiming that Hillary Clinton abused children there

I smell a left wing rat behind this! The way the article is written is to take a stab at alternative media. The description of the gun, and the description of "Police initially said Welch's motive was unclear but many quickly speculated it was related to the pizza-gate election conspiracy. 

Following Welch's arrest, police described pizza-gate as a 'fictitious online conspiracy theory'." seem too direct to alternative media. I bet this guy was hired to do this. Probably a patsy for a drill. Fits to well with previous narratives of similar false flag operations. 

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A man allegedly armed with an assault rifle terrified customers when he walked into a popular pizza restaurant and demanded to know the truth about a pizza-gate conspiracy theory that claimed Hillary Clinton had abused children there.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, was arrested and charged after he stormed into Comet Ping Pong in Washington D.C. on Sunday at about 3pm armed with the rifle. 

He was pictured walking backwards on the street with his hands on his head as police surrounded him with guns drawn.

Police said Welch told them he went to the pizzeria to investigate 'pizza-gate' - a story on fake news sites prior to the election that claimed Clinton had run a child sex abuse ring.

According to eyewitnesses, Welch spent 45 minutes inside the pizzeria where he was said to be looking for the secret tunnels identified in the fake news stories where children were allegedly abused, a nearby shop owner told the Washington Post.  

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, was arrested on the street after he stormed into Comet Ping Pong in Washington D.C. on Sunday at about 3pm armed with the rifle

The 28-year-old was was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after the ordeal at the popular pizzeria Comet Ping Pong

Welch, from Salisbury in North Carolina, left customers and staff terrified when he walked through the front door and through to the back of the restaurant.

Police said he pointed a gun at an employee and threatened them before they were able to escape and notify police. Several customers and employees took shelter in nearby businesses. 

Police said the lone gunman then fired one or more shots into the floor, but no one was injured.

Authorities found two firearms inside the restaurant and another weapon in his car parked outside. They said the incident was not terrorism related.  

Welch was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

Police initially said Welch's motive was unclear but many quickly speculated it was related to the pizza-gate election conspiracy. 

Following Welch's arrest, police described pizza-gate as a 'fictitious online conspiracy theory'.

Police closed off Connecticut Avenue as they responded to reports of a gunman inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant on Sunday at 3pm

Detectives examined a car outside the pizzeria believed to belong to the alleged gunman. Police say two guns were found inside the shop and another in his car

Police said the gunman told them he went to the pizzeria to investigate 'pizza-gate' - a story prior to the election that claimed Clinton had run a child sex abuse ring there

The shooting comes just weeks after the pizzeria was swept up in controversy during the presidential election campaign when it became the victim of the fake news story being shared on social media. 

Staff at the restaurant received a number of death threats on social media following claims it was the center of a child sex abuse ring run by then Democratic presidential candidate and her campaign chief John Podesta.

Some of the rumors even claimed that kidnapped and trafficked children were being kept in the venue's back rooms and secret basement tunnels where they were being molested.

There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims who have come forward. The restaurant also says it does not have a basement or any hidden rooms.

But thousands of alt-right Trump supporters and anti-Hillary Clinton followers believe the claims.

The owner of the restaurant, James Alefantis, was forced to contact the FBI after the abuse became too much and he caught one supporter of the rumor trying to shoot a live video from within the pizzeria. 

The man, from Salisbury, North Carolina, was taken into police custody and the streets remained closed on Sunday afternoon

The owner of the restaurant James Alefantis (pictured) was forced to contact the FBI after the children of some staff were targeted

Staff at the popular restaurant had received a number of death threats on social media following fake claims that it was the center of a child sex abuse ring run by Hillary Clinton

The conspiracy theory took hold when the emails belonging to Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, were released by WikiLeaks. 

Users on the online message board 4Chan found a reference of Alefantis in one of Podesta's emails just days before the election. Alefantis had been discussing a Democrat fundraiser.

Alefantis was once in a relationship with outspoken Clinton supporter David Brock.

The 4Chan users speculated that Alefantis' Comet Ping Pong was part of a Democratic child trafficking ring.  

The conspiracy theory then took hold on social media, including Twitter and Reddit.  

Reddit eventually took the step of banning the pizzagate topic from its message boards, citing its policy against posting the personal information of others.

'From this insane, fabricated conspiracy theory, we’ve come under constant assault,' the business owner told the New York Times at the time.  

'I've done nothing for days but try to clean this up and protect my staff and friends from being terrorized.' 

WHAT IS THE PIZZA-GATE CONSPIRACY? 

The pizza-gate conspiracy is based on claims Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief John Podesta ran a child sex abuse ring at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washinton D.C.

Some of the rumors claimed that kidnapped and trafficked children were being kept in the pizzeria's back rooms and secret tunnels where they were being molested.

Staff at the restaurant received a number of death threats after the fake news was shared on social media.

It started when emails belonging to Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, were released by WikiLeaks. The owner of the pizza shop, James Alefantis, was mentioned in the emails. He is a Democrat supporter and was talking about a fundraiser. 

Users on the online message board 4Chan speculated Alefantis' Comet Ping Pong was part of a Democratic child trafficking ring and rumors swirled on social media, including Reddit and Twitter.

Reddit eventually took the step of banning the pizzagate topic from its message boards. 

There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims who have come forward.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4000016/Man-armed-rifle-terrorizes-customers-Washington-Comet-Ping-Pong-pizza-shop.html