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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Jason Wilson

Far-right militia targets US military over baseless hurricane ‘weather weapon’ claims

a flag flying over a damaged house
Damage from Hurricane Helene in Burnsville, North Carolina, earlier this month. Photograph: Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images

A vigilante militia notorious for its patrols on America’s border with Mexico has threatened to take on the US military in recent weeks, with its founder baselessly claiming that Hurricane Helene was deliberately caused by a government energy weapon that needs to be destroyed, according to private and public Telegram chats.

Veterans on Patrol’s (VOP’s) conversations reveal that members believe the outlandish conspiracy theory that the US government caused the hurricane with weather manipulation technology, that the US military is spraying the American people with poisons, and that members should be willing to destroy government facilities in order to stop these activities.

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