Just a claim by the news media. . .
Posted on: August 2, 2020 at 18:05:54 CT
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A masked, umbrella-wielding man accused of helping incite riots and looting in the aftermath of George Floyd's police-involved death has been identified as a member of a white supremacist group that aimed to stir racial tensions amid largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protests, according to police.
The 32-year-old, dubbed "Umbrella Man," was captured in a viral video back in May wearing a black hooded outfit and a black gas mask as he smashed store windows with a sledgehammer and encouraged people to steal, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week.
"This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city," Erika Christensen, a Minneapolis Police Department arson investigator, wrote in a search warrant affidavit filed in court this week. "Until the actions of ... 'Umbrella Man,' the protests had been relatively peaceful."
"The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension. Your affiant believes that this individual's sole aim was to incite violence," she added.