A man in North Carolina, William Jacob Parsons, was arrested after making threatening comments about harming FEMA employees involved in hurricane relief efforts. Parsons was witnessed making these threats by a soldier in a store in Rutherford County. He was found carrying a handgun and a rifle at the time of his arrest and was charged with “Going Armed to the Terror of the Public.” There was misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating about FEMA’s response in the area, with false claims of the federal government planning to bulldoze and seize Chimney Rock. The North Carolina National Guard has not been able to verify reports of armed militia hunting FEMA responders. Parsons had posted about being affiliated with the far-right, anti-government III Percenter militia movement on Facebook.
FEMA made operational adjustments in response to the threats for the safety of staff members and disaster survivors. Operations in Ashe and Madison counties were briefly paused but have since resumed. Parsons’ arrest comes amid a wave of misinformation and harassment towards government officials. FEMA officials, including U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have been targeted in antisemitic attacks. There has been a significant amount of debunked FEMA misinformation circulating online, with over 160 million views as of October 7. Both FEMA and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety have been working to combat misinformation. Former President Trump has also contributed to the spread of misinformation, sharing claims about FEMA diverting funds from disaster relief.
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