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Unsupported claims circulated on the web that 5G towers had been pelting individuals with microwaves and spreading COVID-19.
A San Antonio man accused of making an attempt to burn down cellphone towers within the space has been sentenced to 6 and a half years in federal jail on arson and weapons fees, based on authorities.
Sean Aaron Smith, 30, obtained the sentence this week after pleading responsible in August to 6 counts of arson affecting interstate and international commerce and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Western District of Texas mentioned in a press release.
Authorities arrested Smith after a witness reported that the person was on a mission to destroy 5G cellphone towers as a part of his “anti-government views,” based on earlier information stories. Smith was accused of making an attempt to torch a number of towers round San Antonio between April 2021 and Could 2022, based on courtroom paperwork.
In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, unsupported claims circulated on the web that 5G know-how, together with towers used to hold cellphone and information alerts, had been microwaving unsuspecting residents and spreading the coronavirus.
Smith was arrested following a Could 13, 2022, site visitors cease throughout which police positioned a handgun on the floorboard of the car, based on the Justice Division. A subsequent search of his residence turned up an extra firearms, officers mentioned.
“An assault on the infrastructure of a neighborhood has the potential for devastating results,” FBI Appearing Particular Agent in Cost Doug Olson mentioned in assertion. “Sean Smith tried a number of instances to burn cellphone towers down round San Antonio in assist of his anti-5G ideology. When he was caught, he had a handgun in his car, regardless of his standing as a convicted felon.”
Along with the FBI, the San Antonio Hearth Division Arson Squad, San Antonio Police Division, Texas Division of Public Security and Texas Rangers investigated the case, based on federal authorities.
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