The New York police department (NYPD) has warned US healthcare executives of a heightened risk to their lives after identifying an online “hitlist” posted in the wake of last week’s assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.
Corporations have scrambled to give their senior figures added protection against the threat of copycat killings following Thompson’s murder, which has been celebrated in some quarters of social media.
The NYPD’s warning came in a bulletin, which highlighted viral posts publicising the names and salaries of several other health insurance executives. In addition to the social media posts, multiple “wanted” signs featuring corporate chief executives have been posted throughout Manhattan, according to the bulletin, which was first reported by ABC.
The suspect in Thompson’s killing, Luigi Mangione, who has been lionised as a “martyr” on social media – prompting fears that the crime could serve as an inspiration – appeared in a court in Pennsylvania on Tuesday facing charges of second-degree murder. CNN cited two law enforcement officials saying that fingerprints from the assassination scene matched Mangione’s.