Fact check: No arrest made in bombing of Georgia Guidestones; purported news story fabricated

Ana Faguy, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: News story reported schizophrenic man was convicted in Georga Guidestones bombing

Since the intentional bombing of the Georgia Guidestones on July 6, misinformation surrounding the incident has spread online.

A July 19 Facebook post presents a screenshot of a supposed news story in claiming a schizophrenic man was convicted for the bombing. The post accrued more than 100 shares in a week.

"Schizophrenic man convicted over blowing up the Georgia Guidestones," the headline in the post reads.

The screenshot attributes the story to the Associated Press and the Daily Mail, though the Daily Mail name is styled incorrectly.

But the headline is not real, according to AP and the Daily Mail spokespeople.

And no arrest has been made in the case, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigations spokesperson.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.

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The headline in the post is not real

The purported article in the post is not a real AP story, according to Lauren Easton, Director of AP Media Relations. Nor is it a real Daily Mail story, Sean Walsh, a Daily Mail spokesperson confirmed.

The story was not published on AP’s website or the Daily Mail’s website. It also does not appear on AP's Twitter or the Daily Mail's Twitter.

Despite what the post's headline says, Georgia authorities have yet to make an arrest in the case.

"The GBI investigation is active and ongoing," Nelly Miles, a spokesperson for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told USA TODAY. "There are no new updates to report."

The man pictured in the fabricated news story is YouTuber Luke Smith.

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Our rating: Altered

Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image purporting to show a news story reporting a schizophrenic man was convicted in the Georga Guidestones bombing. Despite the purported story being attributed to AP and the Daily Mail, both news organizations confirmed they did not run the story. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations also confirmed they've yet to make an arrest in the bombing.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No arrest made in bombing of Georgia Guidestones