A man suspected of setting off an airstrike in a Queens, New York shopping mall on Monday morning is a right-wing conspiracy theorist who was arrested on December 30 for arson and has been at least a week. investigated by the NYPD. .
Law enforcement officials say they are looking for the man, Louis Shenker, 22, after firefighters in New York discovered a stolen car with wire, cans and electrical wiring in the form of a fake bomb device on top of the car’s trunk. No explosives were found in the vehicle – a Tesla with Nevada plates parked on a spiral driveway between the parking garage in the Queens Place store, but police rescued a husky dog in it.
According to senior police officers, the Black Lives Matter motion directions gave the pro motion directions, raising the question of whether the signs were placed there.
Law enforcers say police have already investigated Shenker and arrested him twice for other disruptive stunts. On Dec. 30, he was arrested for criminal malpractice and two charges of arson at low level for allegedly placing a poster on a barricade in NYPD, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Shenker has repeatedly been involved in a variety of similar stunts, including anti-mask actions, which he has documented on Instagram.
Shenker has repeatedly tweeted about Nick Fuentes, a prominent figure in the far-right Groyper movement, who seeks to turn the racist and homophobic troll culture of extremist forum 4chan into real life. His Twitter account has been suspended.
Shenker appeared on the online conspiracy webcast InfoWars in December, where he spurred false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, coronavirus and a plan to take over the world. He asked a minimum of 100,000 people to come to New York City to protest a number of issues outside Mayor Bill de Blasio’s residence, including the false conspiracy theory that “Donald John Trump is the rightful winner of this election.”
He also falsely spurred internet rumors about the coronavirus vaccination, including an extensive conspiracy with the Chinese government, Bill Gates, George Soros, the Clintons and dr. Anthony Fauci.
A review of an Instagram account, confirmed by three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation into belonging to Shenker, shows how Shenker burned a photo of George Floyd with a caption cursing Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement insulted.
In another post, it appears that Shenker staged an incident where his car was hit with red paint and with a sign warning Shenker to ‘be scared’. The photo has a location corresponding to Gracie Mansion, the residence of Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York.
The report also shows a recent message from a “Amtrak requires everyone to wear a burning face mask” with the caption: “It’s not getting any better than this!”
Shenker also posted the hashtag StopTheSteal and pro-Trump signs. His Twitter account, linked from a website dedicated to his nationalist YouTube program and podcast, has been suspended.
Shenker’s attorney and family did not respond to requests for comment.
Adiel Kaplan contributed.