[csusbpeace] Paul Pelosi’s Accused Attacker Had Zip Ties With Him and List of Targets, Reports Say

From: "raccoon" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ("bigraccoon1")
To: "CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <CSUSBPEACE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:07:36 -0700

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akeae5/paul-pelosi-attacker-zip-ties-list-of-targets?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=221031

Paul Pelosi’s Accused Attacker Had Zip Ties With Him and List of Targets,
Reports Say

The man who allegedly broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco and
attacked her husband with a hammer had a list of other “targets
<https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paul-pelosi-attack-suspect-target-list-sources-say-nancy-pelosi-husband/>,”
as well as a bag containing duct tape and zip ties,
<https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/zip-ties-found-scene-pelosi-home-invasion-police-say-rcna54739>
multiple media outlets citing law enforcement sources reported.

Paul Pelosi, 82, was hospitalized after the attack and underwent surgery for
a fractured skull as well as being treated for injuries to his hands and
arms. His accused assailant has been identified as 42-year-old David DePape,
a resident of Berkeley, California. VICE News reported Friday that DePape
left a trail of online hate
<https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7gkey/david-depape-paul-pelosi-attack> and
appeared to ascribe to a grab bag of far-right conspiracy theories, including
Pizzagate, Holocaust denial, and anti-LGBTQ “grooming” narratives. He also
railed against the government, promoted COVID-19 disinformation, and went on
long rants targeting women and minorities.

He’s set to appear in court on Tuesday.

More details about the attack trickled out over the weekend, even as rampant
disinformation about DePape and the Pelosis swirled online. Investigators,
however, have not yet confirmed a motive in the attack, and law enforcement
recognizes they’re racing against the clock to maintain control of the
official narrative.

“With the steady flow of disinformation, we would like to get as many facts
out as we can,” Sgt. Adam Lobsinger, who runs communications for the San
Francisco Police Department, told VICE News in an email. “This is an active
investigation involving many different agencies, so we are still limited on
what we can say.”

In a press conference Sunday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins
tried to set the record straight on several false narratives percolating
online regarding the attack, including one baselessly speculating DePape and
Paul Pelosi were having an affair. New Twitter owner Elon Musk shared an
article promoting that conspiracy and later deleted it.

DePape was “in fact, looking for Ms. Pelosi,” Jenkins said. The House Speaker
was in Washington, D.C., with her security detail at the time. Jenkins said
there’s no evidence to suggest the two men knew each other prior to Friday’s
attack.

Jenkins, however, did not weigh in on media reports about DePape having a
longer list of targets. With regards to the zip ties, a spokesperson for the
San Francisco Police Department told VICE News they were unable to “confirm
or comment on any evidence we may or may not have located at the scene,”
citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Police have said that DePape allegedly broke into the Pelosis’ home by
smashing a glass back door and made his way
<https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/30/politics/pelosi-attack-suspect-david-depape-bag-zip-ties/index.html>
to the second floor, where Paul Pelosi was asleep. He was shouting “Where’s
Nancy?!” CNN reported
<https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/30/politics/pelosi-attack-suspect-david-depape-bag-zip-ties/index.html>,
eerily reminiscent of the words that were chanted by Jan. 6 rioters who
searched the Capitol for the House Speaker.

Paul Pelosi told the intruder that he had to use the bathroom, where his
phone was charging. There he discreetly placed a call to 911 and kept the
line open. He spoke in “code” with his alleged attacker, asking questions
like, “What’s going on?” “Why are you here?” and “What are you going to do to
me?” according to CNN
<https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/nancy-pelosi-husband-paul-attack/index.html>.
An emergency services dispatcher recognized the unusual exchange and
dispatched police for a wellness check at the Pelosi residence.

Jenkins also swatted down conspiracy theories claiming that there was a third
person in the house, which were fueled by the fact that the front door of the
Pelosi residence was unlocked when police arrived. “There was no third person
present,” said Jenkins. “We don’t have information about which of the men
opened the door.”

When police arrived, Pelosi and DePape were struggling over the hammer, each
holding onto an end, according to Jenkins. Police ordered them to “drop the
weapon” and then witnessed DePape allegedly strike Pelosi with the hammer.

DePape, who was at one point a hemp-jewelry maker with close ties to a nudist
community, wrote on one of his blogs that he was radicalized into far-right
extremism during the 2014 misogynistic online harassment campaign known as
“Gamergate,” which was first observed by disinformation researcher Erin
Gallagher.
<https://twitter.com/3r1nG/status/1586094671243214848?s=20&t=ivwgFqP399hamfJUZ94xYA>
In one post from this summer, he described Gamergate as a “consumer-lead
revolt against communism.”

DePape is currently being held in San Francisco County Jail. He’s set to be
formally arraigned Tuesday on charges including attempted homicide and elder
abuse. Because he appeared to target a member of Congress, federal
prosecutors may pursue
<https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1586736272881713155?s=20&t=ivwgFqP399hamfJUZ94xYA>
additional federal charges against him.

[csusbpeace] Paul Pelosi’s Accused Attacker Had Zip Ties With Him and List of Targets, Reports Say

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