The Daily Populous Thursday December 12nd, 2024 night edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by HighburyAndIslington

The New York police department (NYPD) has warned US healthcare executives of a heightened risk to their lives after identifying an online “hitlist” posted in the wake of last week’s assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

Corporations have scrambled to give their senior figures added protection against the threat of copycat killings following Thompson’s murder, which has been celebrated in some quarters of social media.

The NYPD’s warning came in a bulletin, which highlighted viral posts publicising the names and salaries of several other health insurance executives. In addition to the social media posts, multiple “wanted” signs featuring corporate chief executives have been posted throughout Manhattan, according to the bulletin, which was first reported by ABC.

The suspect in Thompson’s killing, Luigi Mangione, who has been lionised as a “martyr” on social media – prompting fears that the crime could serve as an inspiration – appeared in a court in Pennsylvania on Tuesday facing charges of second-degree murder. CNN cited two law enforcement officials saying that fingerprints from the assassination scene matched Mangione’s.

CNN has reported that Mangione was found with a notebook, in which he had written about shooting a healthcare executive at a “bean-counter” conference.

“What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention. It’s targeted, precise, and doesn’t risk innocents,” CNN reported officials saying about one of the sections in the notebook. Thompson was shot as he arrived at a hotel for a meeting of UnitedHealthcare investors.

The NYPD bulletin urged companies to step up security, saying the allegations against Mangione had the “capability to inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence”.

“Both prior to and after the suspected perpetrator’s identification and arrest, some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing, encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting,” it added.

The bulletin highlighted some of the posts, which justified Thompson’s shooting outside a Hilton Hotel in central Manhattan on 4 December on the grounds of the US health insurance sector’s perceived iniquities.

“My mom was denied chemo multiple times and suffered tremendously they missed her cancer for two years because she was constantly denied … she will have life altering damage because of it,” one user wrote.

Another posted on Reddit: “The politicians are compromised and the corporations are suffocating us – all CEO’s should be considered. Sucks when your government is bought by these CEO’s who immediately impact the masses.”

CNN reported that corporate executives outside the health sector had reacted with concern following Thompson’s murder.

“Corporate America is nervous. People are on high alert,” Keith Wojcieszek, global head of intelligence at Kroll, a financial risk and advisory firm, told the network. “Companies want to elevate their security posture. Healthcare is the target now but who’s next?”

Global Guardian, a security firm, said it had received 70 calls from concerned companies in the 36 hours following Thompson’s murder, as executives explored increasing security at corporate offices and residences.

“It’s a huge wake-up call. The mood changed dramatically in a very short period of time,” Seth Krummrich, Global Guardian’s vice-president, told CNN.

outerproduct on December 11st, 2024 at 16:14 UTC »

Now, suddenly, they're worried about gun violence.

4RCH43ON on December 11st, 2024 at 16:06 UTC »

Their response will be to increase their security five fold and overcharge their customers for the inconvenience.

IconOfFilth9 on December 11st, 2024 at 15:56 UTC »

So how’s everyone’s week going?