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Threat Level Midnight
Grim "wanted" posters for healthcare executives have started cropping up around New York City in the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's stunning assassination last week — and cops are worried about what it might mean.
A short video posted to TikTok and shared widely on other social networks shows posters put up in Manhattan depicting the CEOs of Optum Health and UnitedHealth Group, which are both tied to UHC, along with their names, salaries, and public statements. In one poster, Thompson's face is seen crossed out.
"Health care CEOs should not feel safe," the posters all read, before echoing the "deny, defend, depose" slogans seen on the bullet casings used to kill the UHC executive.
Around the same time the video of the posters went viral, ABC News reports that the New York City Police Department is calling on executives across industries to beef up their security amid fears of copycat killers — especially now that suspect Luigi Mangione's alleged motives are making headlines.
"Both prior to and after the suspected perpetrator's identification and arrest, some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing," the NYPD's bulletin reportedly reads, "encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting."
Health Scare
Police cited the "wanted" posters and specific threats viewed online as its reasoning for issuing the bulletin, which hasn't been released to the public in full.
In one of the posts quoted by the NYPD, which was reportedly published on Reddit but appears to have been taken down, a user suggested that the violence could be extended beyond the insurance industry.
"The politicians are compromised and the corporations are suffocating us — all CEO's should be considered," the Redditor wrote. "Sucks when your government is bought by these CEO's who immediately impact the masses."
Other posts have also championed the alleged killer — and some executives, including the one in charge of UHC's parent company, are concerned about an uptick in death threats post-assassination.
Notably, this bulletin was also after the NYPD failed to apprehend Mangione after Thompson's shooting while he was still in New York City limits — so the department may also be attempting to save face.
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