Conspiracy theorists are claiming that the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge was an intentional act despite officials promptly refuting any evidence to support such claims.
Following the incident where a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in vehicles and individuals plummeting into the city's icy harbour, users on various platforms, including X, speculated on causes ranging from terrorist involvement to allegations against Israel.
One of the prominent voices in this discourse was influencer Andrew Tate, who shared with his nine million followers on X that the 300-meter vessel had been subjected to a cyber-attack.
"Lights go off, and it deliberately steers towards the bridge support," the US-born Briton said. "Foreign agents of the USA attack digital infrastructures. Nothing is safe."
Alex Jones, the founder of InfoWars, found liable in numerous defamation lawsuits for asserting that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting was a hoax, reposted the same allegation.
"Looks deliberate to me," he said. "A cyber-attack is probable. WW3 has already started."
Immediate confirmation regarding the cause of the collapse was unavailable, but Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley stated that there was no indication of terrorism.
Footage suggested that the ship experienced two instances of power outage just before the collision, as mentioned by Maryland Governor Wes Moore in a Tuesday press conference, where he stated, "The crew notified authorities of a power issue."
Moore further emphasised that authorities hadn't encountered "any credible evidence of a terrorist attack." Bill DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office, echoed this sentiment, affirming the absence of evidence supporting terrorism.
Despite these assurances, rumours continue to circulate on X, with some accounts speculating a connection between the tragedy and the United States abstention in a UN Security Council vote urging an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war.
"Did Israel just hit the US over not using the Veto power yesterday??" one account said in a post with thousands of interactions.
Others attributed the bridge collapse to the Islamic State group or corporate diversity initiatives, which have sparked controversy in the lead-up to the US presidential election. Meanwhile, more conspiratorial pages floated the idea of a "false flag" operation.
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