Posted on 10/19/2023 2:39:19 PM PDT by NoLibZone
When Long Beach police on Sunday announced that they believed a man named Khalid Yagobbi had intentionally crashed into a group of pedestrians, killing a 60-year-old woman, they seemed to know the announcement would ignite a firestorm of speculation.
In their announcement, police were quick to say the crash had no apparent ties to terrorism and no known connection to the current conflict in the Middle East. It was an assessment, police said, that the FBI had helped them reach.
They said the demand for instant answers has grown exponentially in recent years, not only because of social media but by the increased polarization of politics in the U.S.
“A part is being fueled by these people and these entities who are very committed to causing polarization and political conflicts for nefarious purposes,” said professor Stephanie Hartzell, who studies rhetoric and culture at Cal State Long Beach.
According to Hartzell, people like Loomer are often incentivized to make bold statements during times of global conflict because it raises their profile by spurring engagement through likes or comments.
Similarly, “there is just so much to be gained and actually relatively little to be lost to be the first person to post a fairly inflammatory theory to explain any event,” said Kevin Wallsten, a professor at CSULB who studies American elections, public opinion, political communication, social media and race, and ethnic politics.
There is even less to be lost when law enforcement agencies or news sources are unable to quickly provide answers to the public because of the slow pace of criminal investigations, he said.
In Yagobbi’s case, authorities have so far not provided evidence to show why they believed the crash was intentional, and prosecutors, in fact, may have backed off the accusation.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has charged him with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, not the murder charge police originally arrested him on suspicion of.
Almost immediately though, the department was flooded with questions on social media from users apparently convinced that something was being hidden from them.
“Any ties to terrorism?” wrote one user. “Why can’t you tell the public it was a terrorist attack?” another user asked. “Why are you not admitting this was a blatant terrorist attack by a Muslim?” said another.
The post that garnered the most attention—with over 20,000 likes, nearly 15,000 reposts and about 1,300 comments as of Thursday morning—came from far-right, anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer, whose history of expressing bigoted views has gotten her barred from some major social media platforms as well as the ride-hailing apps Lyft and Uber for her remarks about Muslim drivers.
In her post on X about the Long Beach crash, Loomer shared a photo of Yagobbi and referred to him as a “Muslim terrorist who intentionally carried out an Islamic terrorist attack via vehicular jihad.”
Loomer also said she had sources that told her the LBPD was given a “gag order” to restrict them from giving the public information about the case.
As the claims picked up speed, the LBPD issued another statement Monday, shutting down Loomer’s accusation about a gag order and reiterating that “there is no indication the incident is connected to terrorism nor the current violence in the Middle East.”
“Disinformation is dangerous and irresponsible,” LBPD spokesperson Allison Gallagher said in an email to the Long Beach Post. “As a department, we wanted to correct (it).”
But that may be an uphill battle.
The rumors about Yagobbi and the unverified claims about the crash are a prime example, experts say, of how isolated local events are often politicized, especially in times of global conflict, to fuel an agenda of hate and extremism pushed by groups who have learned to capitalize on the public’s demand for instant information.
The vacuum of facts in the immediate wake of tragedy is nearly impossible for law enforcement to fill before rumors begin to spread, leaving fertile ground for bad actors, experts told the Post.
They need to release information.
Is there any other plausible explanation for this intentional act? If so, let’s hear it.
Will hear about the motivation for this attack right after we get the manifesto from the transgender Christian school killer
Is it even intentional? The charges imply otherwise (course they can be covering up jihad).
LA and Long Beach area are home to tens of thousands of Muslims.
Glad I don’t live there anymore.
Years ago someone on Free Republic coined the term “spontaneous Jihad Syndrome” to explain these inexplicable “crash car into a crowd” events that keep happening when driving while Islamic
Kahlid & his buddies should NOT be here at all.
Laura Anaya-Morga wrote this crap. SHE decides who is extreme and who is not. I am sure she is well trained as a liberal puke to do so...??sarc//
Right after the tranny’s manifesto./sarc
Yes, it WAS intentional according to the witness I spoke to. I was just leaving a restaurant 1 block away when I heard the all the sirens, the large gathering crowd of bystanders and saw all the EMT and PD vehicles pull up. The man I spoke with witnessed the entire incident.
He was standing on the corner waiting for his daughter to pull into the parking lot. The light had just turned red and his daughter was attempting to turn left into the parking lot, but according to the witness, the Muslim was several car lengths from the intersection but instead of slowing down he accelerated through the light and “T-Boned” his daughter’s car as well as hit several people and other vehicles. He said it looked deliberate to him.
The joys of a protected class! just look at the manifesto we have yet to see, the trans freak who murdered children in a school. The protected class status was intended to protect the law abiding the innocent victims of a racial or biased attack and the government has used the broad brush, as they intended to protect our enemies within
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