Is Luigi Mangione Really A "Patsy?" Why Social Media Believes He Isn't The Real Shooter And Is Being Framed

The arrest of Luigi Mangione for the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is breaking the internet. Many believe the Ivy League was not the real perpetrator but a “patsy” in a complex government scheme. X (formerly Twitter) sleuths have dissected everything from his thick eyebrows to his backpack's color and digital footprint. While all of it does seem too crazy to believe, I'm willing to hear everyone out on this one.

The Eyebrows Don’t Match 

When initial images of the alleged shooter surfaced, sharp-eyed viewers noticed something odd: the man in the photos didn’t appear to have a unibrow. Days later, Mangione was arrested sporting a distinct unibrow, and people wondered how someone could grow one in such a short period.

X is flooded by side-by-side comparisons of the shooter’s first photo and the more recent pictures of Mangione. Take a look for yourself:

The Backpack 

Another sticking point: the alleged shooter was initially photographed with a white or grey backpack. Yet, when Mangione was identified as a person of interest, he was seen with a black backpack.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but social media users are having none of that. A thread by @GlenntheGolden1 on X sums up the suspicions nicely: “Why exactly do I think that Luigi Mangione is a patsy? Allow me to weave you a thread 🧵,” he writes. And that’s exactly what he does, connecting dots that, on the surface, might seem unrelated – except they aren’t.

According to @GlenntheGolden1, there’s an angle here that many might be missing: the suppression of free speech and health insurance corruption. Many Americans believe that the health care in our nation is akin to a cartel. Insurers, hospitals, and the American Medical Association (AMA) all work together to keep prices high and access low.

@GlenntheGolden1 pointed out a scandal involving the company Anthem, a data breach at UnitedHealthcare, and some insider trading connections with politicians like Nancy Pelosi. You can read his thread here. “Intel usually knows something like a foreign leader abdicating power is happening in advance,” @GlenntheGolden1 speculates, which makes it even easier to see how Mangione might’ve been pulled in as a convenient “hot himbo patsy” to deflect the national spotlight.

What’s the Deal with 286? 

Mangione’s X banner featured Breloom, a Pokémon whose index number is 286. Social media sleuths have linked this number to nearly every aspect of Mangione’s life:

• Mangione had exactly 286 posts on X before his arrest.

• The denial code “286” in healthcare relates to appeals for claims exceeding the time limit.

• Mangione’s cousin, Nino Mangione, follows exactly 286 people on X.

That’s a little... coincidental, don’t you think?

The Convenient Arrest

Mangione was caught at a McDonald’s, of all places. He allegedly used his ID there. Why would a guy who’s allegedly just committed murder be so casual about his identity? And why in the world would he be carrying a fake gun and a manifesto with him? It’s all a little too convenient. Even social media users like @swindellium are starting to question the legitimacy of the whole thing. “I’m gonna be honest: this is starting to feel fake,” they wrote in response to a photo of Mangione in his holding cell.

Is This a PsyOp or Parallel Construction? 

@FaatiTheStreet may be onto something: "Yeah I’m calling now this is a PsyOp. They saw all these people unilaterally supporting taking out a CEO so they found someone willing to 'take one for the team' and people’s lust for spectacle and lack of media literacy has folks yet again doing the state's job." Maybe we’re all being manipulated into focusing on a carefully crafted spectacle. Given how six corporations own the majority of the media, is it that difficult to believe?

In another tweet, she asks, "Why would anyone who just k*lled a guy be out in public again only days later and recognizably so?" After all, Mangione had the audacity to go out for a "BDS Boycott Happy Meal" days after allegedly committing an assassination. Everyone would think to lay low or hide.

@_its_not_real_ called it a “parallel construction,” a term that refers to the government’s use of illegal methods to frame someone.

@jonst0kes suggested that the authorities used secret anti-terrorism techniques to track down Mangione. According to him, "all the stuff we’re seeing in the official report is classic parallel construction."

Is this all an elaborate setup? Was Mangione simply too obvious of a target, framed to send a message? Or is something else happening behind the scenes? At this point, we may never know.

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