US Military issues warning of possible incel mass shootings at 'Joker' movie screenings: 'run, hide, fight'
The United States Army has reportedly issued a warning to its troops about the possibility of mass shootings at the screenings of the movie 'Joker'.
Military officials, in a widely distributed email on September 18 marked "For official use only", reminded service members to "identify two escape routes" and to "run, hide, fight" in the event of any shooting.
The message read: "Run if you can. If you’re stuck, hide (also known as 'sheltering in place'), and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can," according to Gizmodo.
The Army, on Tuesday, September 24, confirmed to the outlet that it issued a warning in the wake of multiple social media posts from "incel" extremists that were flagged by the FBI.
The email, directed to service members, stated that incels "idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against bullies."
An Army spokesperson, however, said that the message sent to military officials was routine so that they can be better prepared. "We want our workforce to be prepared and diligent on personal safety both inside the workplace and out."
Senior officials of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, in another memo on Monday, September 23, said that the organization had received "credible" intelligence from law enforcement in Texas about "disturbing and very specific chatter" on the dark web about "the targeting of an unknown movie theater during the release".
The Warner Bros. movie 'Joker', starring Joaquin Phoenix which is set to premiere on October 4, has already sparked concerns, particularly from families of those killed during the 2012 mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
The shooting occurred inside a movie theatre during a midnight screening of the film 'The Dark Knight Rises'. According to two federal officials, the assailant James Eagan Holmes had dyed his hair red and called himself "The Joker".