US Army commanders issued a special memo for soldiers and service members, warning of the potential of mass shootings launched by 'incels' during screenings of the upcoming thriller "Joker", Fox News reported.
In particular, the memo excerpts said: “identify two escape routes” and “run, hide, fight [...] Run if you can. if you’re stuck, hide, and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can”.
The US Army issued its warning in response to increased posting activity on social media and on the so-called dark web by self-described incels lately detected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to Fox News.
The US Army report stressed 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”.
The US Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) warned in a separate memo, citing "credible" intelligence from Texas law enforcement, of “disturbing and very specific chatter” on the dark web targeting an unknown movie theater, according to Fox News.
"Commanders need to be aware of this threat for soldier and family safety and to increase situational awareness should they choose to attend the release of this movie at a local theater", the memo said.
According to the media report, many mass shootings in the US have been carried out by white American males who identify themselves as incels. In particular, James Holmes, who opened fire in a crammed movie theater during a screening of 'The Dark Knight' in 2012 Aurora, Colorado, purportedly became something of a hero within the incel community, according to Fox News.
'Joker' will not be screened in the same theater where Holmes shot and killed 12 and injured 70.
Earlier, relatives of Aurora massacre victims signed an open letter to Warner Bros., voicing their concerns about the upcoming movie premier, which tells a grim criminal life story of one of Batman's (The Dark Knight) primary cartoon enemies: The Joker.
