Officials in Nebraska managed to track down a person responsible for creating a hoax Craigslist ad which claimed antifa were offering people money to protest in two cities in the state.
The listing went viral in June after screenshots of it were widely shared on social media even after the original advert was taken down after just a few hours.
The advert read "protesters needed" before claiming that the far-left movement were offering to pay "up to 1,000 people $25 per hour for protesters in Lincoln, NE and Omaha, NE."
"Basically we want to cause as much chaos and destruction as possible," the ad said.
"This will take place every night through the BLM protest on June 13. You will be paid nightly, and can come and go as you please.
"We want chaos to help further our agenda."
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a 33-year-old man from Lincoln has been confirmed to have created the hoax ad following an investigation by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
The man was visited by the sheriff's office and the FBI in October. The 33-year-old, a registered Republican, confirmed he never paid anyone to take part in a protest or cause disorder and that he "didn't want to cause any violence or unrest," Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said.
The man said he didn't know the ad would end up causing such a commotion.
Officials say the man was told that it "was not funny," reported KETV.
Houchin said the man is not facing any charges as there's no proof he intended to cause violence or paid someone to do so. They had considered to ticket him for disturbing the peace or arrest him for inciting a riot, but decided against it and closed the case.
Houchin said the incident is an example of what can happen if people don't think before they post online.
"Even if you're just angry or just think it's funny or whatever, it has a real effect down the road and could cause some unforeseen damage," he told The Star.
Fact-checking website Snopes declared that the advert was a hoax in June. Reuters also made a similar ruling for an almost identical advert seeking paid-for actors in Phoenix, Arizona, the same month.
There were fears the Nebraska advert could be legitimate, despite the formal listing claiming to have been written by a radical anarchist movement.
Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang even warned local businesses of the potential for disorder, although admitted that "there is no concrete evidence or organized plans that we are aware of for protesters to be in Beatrice," reported The Star.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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