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One Vigilante, 22 Cell Tower Fires, and a World of Conspiracies
Inside the mind of the most prolific anti-5G arsonist in the world—and the incoherent, very online political violence of our era.
“Today, the greatest terrorist threat we face here in the US is from what are, in effect, lone actors,” he said, describing these people as moving “quickly from radicalization to action, often using easily obtainable weapons against soft targets.” And an increasing number of these individuals, Wray stressed, were turning violent after marinating in bizarre conspiracy theories. She did so in part because things were finally looking up for the couple: Thanks to a reference from a prominent San Antonio rapper he knew, Smith had landed an off-the-books job as a handyman at a small commercial building, and the landlord was letting him and Dupre stay in one of the vacant units. He found good advice on the website for WarriorUp, a “research project” dedicated to sharing “techniques for sabotaging capitalist infrastructure and extractive industries.” Taking a cue from an article entitled “How to Destroy Cell Phone Towers,” Smith cut up an old tire so he could use the shards in lieu of rags—the rubber caught fire more slowly than cloth.
Or read this on Wired
