Police are hunting activists who have pasted ‘Wanted’ posters of corporate executives around New York amid a campaign of intimidation following the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Some posters featured an image of the murdered health insurance chief. Others targeted leaders from Wall Street, banks, and other healthcare insurance companies
Some of them were captioned: “Wanted. Denying medical care for corporate profit. Health care CEOs should not feel safe.”
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They included the words scrawled on bullets found at the scene of the shooting—“Deny. Defend. Depose.”
A New York Police Department spokesperson also said there had been a spate of online intimidation targeting Wall Street executives.
The threats come after the arrest of Luigi Mangione, 26, who is accused of gunning down Thompson in Manhattan on Dec. 4.
NYPD confirmed to Bloomberg that it is investigating the fly posters.
Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner told WABC: “Whenever an incident of this high prominence takes place, our work is to get ahead of any resonance and in particular, any copycat activity that it may inspire.”
Support for Mangione has grown online among users angry over corporate greed in the wake of the murder. Some on social media have praised the University of Pennsylvania graduate for “sacrificing himself for society.”
The NYPD has warned there is “a risk that a wide range of extremists may view Mangione as a martyr and an example to follow,” according to a law enforcement document reviewed by Bloomberg. “Rhetoric may signal an elevated threat facing executives in the near term.”
