法庭记录显示，对被称为QAnon的边缘在线阴谋运动的持久忠诚正在成为全国各地因参与致命的美国国会大厦起义而被捕的数十名男女的共同话题。
2019年8月，美国联邦调查局(FBI)首次将卡农及其支持者的流动在线社区称为“危险的极端主义团体”，在过去两周，它在对许多被指控参与1月6日国会大厦(Capitol)骚乱的人提起的刑事诉讼中占据显著位置，其中包括一些被控犯有恶劣罪行的人。
道格拉斯·詹森(Douglas Jensen)就是其中之一，在一段病毒视频中，他穿着一件与众不同的“Q”恤，威胁着一名孤独的美国国会大厦黑人警官，带领暴徒穿过大厅，将暴徒推向国会大厦更深处。根据联邦调查局的一份证词，詹森后来告诉调查人员，他“故意把自己定位”在暴徒的前面，这样他的t恤就可以被摄像头看到，“问”就可以“获得荣誉”。
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根据法庭记录，克利夫兰的小梅雷迪思(Meredith Jr .)被政府认为也是卡农理论的支持者，据称他在网上发布了他想处决众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)的愿望，即“在直播电视上向她的脑袋里放一颗子弹”。据检察官称，他带着多支枪支和2500多发弹药去了华盛顿特区。他参加集会迟到了，因为他的车抛锚了。
根据美国联邦调查局(FBI)的新记录，周二被指控的至少还有三人被认为是卡农理论的支持者。
QAnon追随者在国会暴乱中的高调代表了专家们所说的惊人演变，从一个无害的兜售古怪阴谋的边缘论坛，到一个旨在策划国内恐怖活动的人的聚集空间，这种转变可能给执法带来令人烦恼的新挑战。
前联邦检察官、本土恐怖组织专家玛丽·麦科德(Mary McCord)表示:“我们没有一个好的预测器来预测它会走向何方。”她表示，看到一些当选官员煽动扭曲的卡农理论“极其麻烦”。
麦科德说:“你实际上已经选出了国会议员，他们充其量不谴责阿q，最坏的情况是支持一些疯狂的阴谋论——危险的阴谋论。”。
两名新当选的众议院议员在2020年之前推动了卡农信息选举南尤其是总统唐纳德·特朗普10月大选前，当被问到关于卡农的问题时，他不予理会，称自己对此“一无所知”。
“我知道他们非常反对恋童癖，他们非常努力地与之斗争，”特朗普在10月15日的一次会议上拒绝谴责这些虚假的理论市政厅事件。
卡洛斯·巴里亚/路透社
唐纳德·特朗普总统与一群
就在几周前，在8月份的白宫新闻发布会上，总统说QAnon的追随者“热爱这个国家”，并补充说，他感谢他们的支持，这反过来又有助于增强对该运动的信心。
“他说了很多，但没有说太多。对我们许多支持者来说，我们知道他真的不能站出来说，“哦，是的，我支持它，”55岁的吉娜·辛克(Gina Sink)是北卡罗来纳州列克星敦的一名卡农支持者，在总统发表评论后，她在9月份的特朗普集会上告诉美国广播公司新闻。
美国司法部(Department of Justice)周二在一份新的宣誓书中警告称:“在2020年11月3日的选举之后，许多卡农追随者开始推行虚假和不可信的大规模选民欺诈理论，并声称2020年的选举是从特朗普总统那里‘窃取’的。”。
1月6日，卡农对暴徒的影响在大量社交媒体视频和照片中显而易见，这些视频和照片描述了他们对国会大厦的袭击。有人看到几名暴徒穿着“Q”服装，高喊与运动有关的口号。在1月13日美国联邦调查局(FBI)为执法伙伴准备的一份公告中，联邦特工报告称，暴徒广泛展示了“与卡农阴谋论相关的符号”。
在指控文件中，联邦检察官注意到QAnon对几名被控在围攻期间威胁使用暴力的参与者的明显影响。
雅各布·钱斯利戴角盔的暴徒他是事件中最受广泛认可的人之一，也被认为是卡农理论的支持者。
“钱斯利是2021年1月6日试图推翻美国政府的暴力叛乱的积极参与者，并使自己成为最突出的象征，”政府检察官说，用一些迄今为止最直言不讳的话来描述这场暴乱。
事实证明，1月6日的袭击对至少两名卡农信徒来说是致命的。据报道，34岁的罗珊·博伊兰(Rosanne Boyland)在国会大厦被人群压碎，她姐姐后来告诉美联社(Associated Press)，她最近开始在网上追踪卡农的阴谋论。阿什丽·巴比特在国会大厦内被一名美国国会警察开枪打死，后来在联邦调查局的公告中被描述为“一名据称的QAnon支持者”。
QAnon于2017年首次浮出水面，位于毫无根据的理论特朗普正在与亿万富翁恋童癖、崇拜魔鬼的民主党人和吃婴儿的好莱坞明星以及嵌入美国联邦政府庞大官僚体系中的“深层国家”对应方的全球网络进行斗争。越来越多的追随者首先在被称为4chan的自由社交媒体网站上消费并助长了虚假陈述，然后在其他社交媒体网站上，在他们认为来自“Q”的线索的推动下，他们认为一名秘密情报官员留下了关于政府腐败的线索。连“Q”是否存在都不清楚。
许多说法都是黑暗和古怪的，多年来，该理论的追随者大多被认为是边缘人，而不是重大威胁。正如一名联邦调查局特工上周所说，他们有“键盘虚张声势”，并被限制在网络最黑暗的角落。
但最近，许多暴力事件都与支持卡农理论的人有关，最近的民意调查表明，阴谋论的受众比以前想象的要广泛。例如，根据NPR/益普索在12月进行的一项民意调查，超过三分之一的美国人认为所谓的“深度国家”正在削弱特朗普——这是QAnon用户通常兜售的另一个毫无根据的阴谋。
对于寻求防止未来暴力袭击的执法官员来说，卡农的崛起带来了新的挑战。负责监控网络极端主义的当局现在必须努力解决如何在不侵犯受宪法保护的言论自由的情况下评估和打击新出现的阴谋。
美国联邦调查局(FBI)负责人史蒂文·安托诺(Steven D'Antuono)上周在一次新闻发布会上表示:“我们必须将渴望与有意分开，并确定哪些人在互联网上说卑鄙的话只是在练习键盘虚张声势，还是他们实际上有伤害他人的意图。”
在国会山袭击之后，联邦调查局准备了一份文件，旨在帮助执法合作伙伴在网上识别QAnon“指标”，定义其追随者使用的短语和标签。但该文件还指出，“联邦调查局不仅仅根据第一修正案的活动开展任何调查活动。”
在1月13日分发给执法合作伙伴的另一份公告中，美国联邦调查局(FBI)警告称，在国会山袭击被认为“成功”后，QAnon的阴谋论追随者可能会感到更加大胆。
公告警告称:“一些(国内暴力极端分子)认为1月6日的事件是成功的，加上利用后续合法集会和意识形态驱动因素(包括阴谋论，如QAnon)的潜力，也可能激励一些(国内暴力极端分子)和其他人参与更多零星的、单独的行动者或小团体暴力。”
在就职典礼之前，执法官员正在密切关注不结盟的“独狼”带来的威胁。《华盛顿邮报》周一报道称，美国联邦调查局(FBI)私下警告其合作机构，QAnon的追随者已经讨论过回到华盛顿参加乔·拜登(Joe Biden)的宣誓就职仪式，冒充国民警卫队(National Guard)士兵。
QAnon emerges as recurring theme of criminal cases tied to US Capitol siege
An abiding sense of loyalty to the fringe online conspiracy movement known as QAnon is emerging as a common thread among scores of the men and women from around the country arrested for their participation in the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection, court records reveal.
The FBI first labeled QAnon and its fluid online community of supporters as a "dangerous extremist group" in August 2019, and over the past two weeks it has featured prominently in criminal indictments filed against many of those alleged to have participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including a number accused of egregious crimes.
Among them is Douglas Jensen, the bearded man seen in a viral video wearing a distinctive "Q" T-shirt, menacing a lone black U.S. Capitol Police officer as he led rioters through the halls and pushed the mob deeper into the Capitol building. Jensen later told investigators that he "intentionally positioned himself" toward the front of the mob so his T-shirt would be visible to cameras and "Q" could "get the credit," according to an FBI affidavit.
Cleveland Meredith Jr., who the government also believed to be a supporter of QAnon theories, allegedly posted online about his desire to execute House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by "putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV," according to court records. He went to Washington, D.C., armed with multiple firearms and more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition in his possession, according to prosecutors. He was late to the rally because his car broke down.
At least three more individuals charged on Tuesday are believed to be supporters of the QAnon theory, according to new FBI records.
The high profile of QAnon adherents in the Capitol riots represents what experts describe as a stunning evolution from a harmless fringe forum for people peddling outlandish conspiracies to a gathering space for those intent on plotting domestic terror -- and the transformation could present a vexing new challenge for law enforcement.
"We don't have a good predictor of where it's going to go," said Mary McCord, a former federal prosecutor and expert in homegrown terror groups who called it "extremely troublesome" to see some elected officials fanning the flames of twisted QAnon theories.
"You actually have elected members of Congress who, at best, are not condemning Q, and at worst are actually espousing some of the crazy conspiracy theories -- dangerous conspiracy theories," McCord said.
Two newly elected members of the House of Representatives pushed QAnon messages ahead of the 2020elections. And notably, PresidentDonald Trumpbrushed aside questions about QAnon when pressed about it before the election in October, saying he knew "nothing" about it.
"I do know they are very much against pedophilia, they fight it very hard," Trump said while refusing to condemn the false theories at an Oct. 15town hallevent.
Just weeks earlier, at a White House press briefing in August, the president said QAnon followers "love the country" and added that he appreciated their support -- which in turn helped embolden belief in the movement.
"He said a whole lot by not saying a whole lot at all. For a lot of us supporters, we knew that he really couldn't come out and say, 'Oh yes, I support it," Gina Sink, 55, a QAnon supporter from Lexington, N.C., told ABC News at a Trump rally in September following the president's comments.
"Following the November 3, 2020 election, many QAnon adherents began pushing false and discredited theories of massive voter fraud and that the 2020 election had been 'stolen' from President Trump," the Department of Justice warned in a new affidavit on Tuesday.
On Jan. 6, the influence of QAnon on rioters was evident in the mountain of social media videos and photos depicting their raid on the Capitol complex. Several rioters were seen wearing "Q" clothing, and chanting slogans tied to the movement. In a Jan. 13 bulletin prepared by the FBI for law enforcement partners, federal agents reported that "symbols associated with QAnon conspiracy theories" were widely displayed by rioters.
In charging documents, federal prosecutors have noted the apparent influence of QAnon among several participants accused of threatening violence during the siege.
Jacob Chansley, thehorned helmet-wearing rioterwho was one of the most widely recognized from the incident, is also believed to be a supporter of QAnon theories.
"Chansley is an active participant in -- and has made himself the most prominent symbol of -- a violent insurrection that attempted to overthrow the United States Government on January 6, 2021," government prosecutors said, using some of its bluntest words yet to describe the riot.
The Jan. 6 attack proved deadly to at least two QAnon adherents. Rosanne Boyland, 34, who was reportedly crushed by the crowd at the Capitol complex, had recently started following QAnon conspiracy theories online, her sister later told the Associated Press. And Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer inside the Capitol, was later characterized in an FBI bulletin as "an alleged QAnon-supporter."
QAnon, which first surfaced in 2017, rests on thebaseless theorythat Trump is fighting against a global network of billionaire pedophiles, devil-worshipping Democrats and baby-eating Hollywood stars and their "deep state" counterparts embedded in the U.S. federal government's sprawling bureaucracy. A growing group of followers consumed and contributed to the false narratives first on the freewheeling social media site known as 4chan, then on other social media sites, fueled by what they thought were cues from "Q," a secret intelligence official they believed was leaving clues about government corruption. It is not clear if "Q" even exists.
Many of the claims are dark and outlandish, and for years adherents to the theory were considered mostly fringe and not a significant threat. They had "keyboard bravado," as one FBI special agent said last week, and were confined to the darkest corners of the web.
But recently, numerous violent incidents have been linked to people who support QAnon theories, and recent polling suggests that the conspiracy theories are reaching wider audiences than previously thought. For example, more than one in three Americans believe a so-called "deep state" is working to undermine Trump -- another unfounded conspiracy commonly peddled by QAnon users -- according to an NPR/Ipsos poll conducted in December.
For law enforcement officials seeking to prevent future violent attacks, the rise of QAnon is presenting fresh challenges. Authorities tasked with monitoring online extremism must now grapple with how to evaluate and combat emerging plots without infringing on constitutionally protected free speech.
"We have to separate the aspirational from the intentional and determine which of the individuals saying despicable things on the internet are just practicing keyboard bravado, or they actually have the intent to do harm," said FBI agent-in-charge Steven D'Antuono during a press briefing last week.
In the wake of the Capitol attack, the FBI prepared a document meant to assist law enforcement partners in identifying QAnon "indicators" online, defining phrases and hashtags used by its followers. But the document also notes that "the FBI does not initiate any investigative activity based solely on the exercise of First Amendment activities."
In a separate bulletin distributed to law enforcement partners on Jan. 13, the FBI warned that conspiracy-minded followers of QAnon may feel emboldened after the perceived "success" of the Capitol assault.
"Some [domestic violent extremists] view the 6 January event as a success, in conjunction with the potential to exploit follow-on lawful gatherings and ideological drivers -- including conspiracy theories, such as QAnon -- likely will also inspire some [domestic violent extremists] and others to engage in more sporadic, lone actor or small cell violence," the bulletin warned.
Ahead of the inauguration, law enforcement officials are keeping a close watch on the threat posed by QAnon-aligned "lone wolves." The Washington Post reported Monday that the FBI privately warned its partner agencies that QAnon adherents have discussed returning to Washington for Joe Biden's swearing-in, posing as National Guard troops.
