Analysts: Supporters of the shooter who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may target police

NEW YORK CITY, NY - Two weeks after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed point-blank on the streets of midtown Manhattan, his alleged assassin Luigi Mangione has reportedly been greeted by a surge of enthusiastic support online for his so-called "vigilante justice."

According to ABC News, analysts with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a non-profit focused on cybersecurity that partners with government and law enforcement, released a new threat assessment bulletin warning that this online support for Mangione and his actions risks encouraging copycat attacks. 

CIS analysts said, "Overwhelming bipartisan support for the attack" across social media has "resulted in several narratives encouraging similar violent activities directed at other healthcare executive teams." The bulletin said, "The narratives supporting Mangione's targeted attack likely serve to encourage like-minded individuals, particularly as Mangione continues to be viewed by the public as an 'American hero' and a sympathetic figure."

Threats, it added, are "likely to emanate from individuals motivated by personal grievances, sociopolitical or ideological views, or in response to contentious high-profile cases, such as the recent death of Thompson." CIS wrote, "Threats have proliferated online and multiple wanted signs have appeared in New York City depicting healthcare executives. Such implicit and explicit hit lists exacerbate current risks."

In Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was captured, local police said that they have faced threats and negative blowback for arresting the suspect as did the McDonald's where he was arrested.

CIS assessed that it is "highly likely that threats will continue to target [law enforcement] and other public offices participating in Mangione's case." Once extradited, second-degree murder and other charges await Mangione in New York, where he will eventually face a trial.

CIS warned that there once back in New York, the courthouse itself could be a target. They warned, "with individuals seeking to replicate" Mangione's alleged actions likely "emboldened and encouraged." The bulletin read, "Due to widespread public support of the incident, law enforcement and others associated with Mangione's arrest are likely at a higher risk of targeting."

It added, "Courthouses litigating Mangione's case should be prepared for inauthentic bomb threats and demonstrations in support of Mangione" as well as swatting and doxing. CIS said that Mangione's alleged actions have fueled public appreciation for violence as a "catalyst for change — the belief that the assassination proved violent action is an effective means of protest."

The bulletin said that the healthcare industry is "likely uniquely vulnerable, alongside the pharmaceutical industry, to widespread support of targeted acts of violence due to the hurdles many people directly experience regarding challenges with insurance coverage. The bulletin cited that "many" social media users are sharing their own negative experiences with insurance providers.

CIS said that the shooting promoted "a flurry of negative sentiment and threatening statements, including an uproar and renewed focus on a new policy regarding limitations in anesthesia coverage adopted by Elevance Health that was announced in November."

Following Thompson's killing, Elevance reversed the policy "amid the influx of threatening statements." CIS wrote, "Several posts targeted the CEO of Elevance Health," adding that "other companies were also referenced as possible future targets." The influx of hostility is likely not just reserved for the healthcare industry alone, as noted by CIS. The bulletin said, "Threats are likely to extend to executives in other corporate sectors the public perceives as working against the interests of the American public."