{"id":114826,"date":"2019-01-27T17:12:40","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T21:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=114826"},"modified":"2019-01-29T06:12:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T10:12:11","slug":"arson-fire-at-comet-ping-pong-suspect-at-large-maybe-it-was-the-owner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=114826","title":{"rendered":"Arson Fire at Comet Ping Pong, Suspect at Large, Maybe It Was the Owner? MSM still tries to debunk the very real Pizzagate conspiracy that continues to this very day."},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Arson suspected at Comet Ping Pong, the D.C. restaurant at the center of &#8216;Pizzagate&#8217; conspiracy theory<\/h1>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/ny-1548523360-4hc2bkml7j-snap-image.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-114827\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/ny-1548523360-4hc2bkml7j-snap-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/ny-1548523360-4hc2bkml7j-snap-image.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/ny-1548523360-4hc2bkml7j-snap-image-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/ny-1548523360-4hc2bkml7j-snap-image-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>By JESSICA SCHLADEBECK\u00a0 | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS<\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p data-page=\"1\">Comet Ping Pong, the D.C. restaurant at the center of the \u201cPizzagate\u201d conspiracy theory, was intentionally set ablaze this week and authorities are still searching for a suspect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a tweet Friday said authorities are looking for a \u201cwhite male\u201d between 25 and 30 years old \u201cwith blonde hair, mustache and a beard\u201d for questioning in connection with the fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The flames broke out at the Washington pizzeria just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday. When first responders arrived on the scene, they learned no one was injured in the incident and that employees were able to quickly put out the blaze<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ATF is seeking the pictured suspect for questioning about the January 23, 2019 arson at Comet Pizza, 5037 Connecticut Ave NW.  If you have any information contact 1-888-ATF-FIRE. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KJd9FqZQt0\">pic.twitter.com\/KJd9FqZQt0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ATFHQ\/status\/1088929252978888704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 25, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to a police report obtained by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/public-safety\/fire-at-comet-ping-pong-was-intentionally-set-fire-and-police-officials-say\/2019\/01\/25\/d0b09896-201c-11e9-8e21-59a09ff1e2a1_story.html?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.06f531357705\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington Post<\/a>, investigators found several burned matches on the floor beneath curtains in the backroom where the fire started. They also discovered an open box of matches and a partially full bottle of lighter fluid on a nearby table.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desktop-nativo mobile-yieldmo inline-ad \" data-inline-ad-count=\"2\">\n<div id=\"f00qng2Louhogr\" class=\"wrapper clearfix full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-ads-nativo\" data-pb-name=\"Nativo Ad\" data-pb-curated=\"curated\">\n<div class=\"hidden-mobile\">\n<div id=\"8735\" class=\"desktop-nativo-ad trb_ar_nt\" data-nativo-id-desktop=\"1089988\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The curtains were completely destroyed despite an employee\u2019s quick use of a fire extinguisher, police noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The D.C. eatery, which combines pizza and ping pong tables, was thrust into the national spotlight in 2016 when it became the subject of a viral internet rumor being passed around alt-right forums and message boards. The \u201cPizzagate\u201d theory suggested without any evidence the restaurant\u2019s owner allowed for Bill and Hillary Clinton and her former campaign manager, John Podesta, to run a child sex ring out of the basement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The same year, Comet Ping Pong was targeted by North Carolina man Edgar Maddison Welch, who showed up at the pizza place armed with a fully loaded AR-15 military style rifle, demanding to investigate the conspiracy theory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Welch in 2017 pleaded guilty to assault and a federal firearms charge and a judge sentenced him to four years behind bars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Authorities do not believe the suspect wanted in connection with the arson allegations has ties to Welch. Comet\u2019s owner, James Alefantis, echoed the sentiment, telling the Post that the confrontation involving Welch was \u201cyears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item card-border-bottom card-border-bottom-thick card-border-bottom-dark\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The Pizzagate conspiracy theory has been widely debunked by multiple agencies and organizations, including the D.C. Metropolitan police. The department shortly after the 2016 incident at Comet Ping Pong\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/release\/arrest-made-assault-dangerous-weapon-gun-5000-block-connecticut-avenue-northwest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said\u00a0<\/a>Welch\u2019s actions were driven by a \u201cfactitious online conspiracy theory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/news\/crime\/ny-news-arson-comet-ping-pong-pizzagate-suspect-20190126-story.html\">https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/news\/crime\/ny-news-arson-comet-ping-pong-pizzagate-suspect-20190126-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arson suspected at Comet Ping Pong, the D.C. restaurant at the center of &#8216;Pizzagate&#8217; conspiracy theory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114826\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}