At least two firefighters were killed and nine others injured in a shooting while responding to a brush fire on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, according to Fox News. As the manhunt for the suspect continues, unverified theories have begun circulating on social media suggesting a possible connection to the white supremacist group Aryan Nations.
The speculation stems from the fact that exactly 24 years earlier, on June 29, 2001, firefighters participated in a training exercise in which they burned down a former security house at the Aryan Nations compound near Hayden Lake, Idaho. The house was located just a few miles from the site of Sunday's ambush.
Social media users quickly began drawing parallels between the two incidents.
One person wrote, “24 years ago yesterday, firefighters burned down the Aryan Nations’ security house in nearby Hayden Lake, Idaho in a training exercise. The Aryan Nations was a violent neo-Nazi and white supremacist group based in North Idaho. This could be a potential motivation behind the events that have unfolded in Coeur D'Alene this evening.”
Another wrote, “That could be a potential motivation for todays attack on firefighters and law enforcement to get what they see as revenge for the destruction of the original Aryan Nations Security House Compound which was burned in a fire department training exercise 24 years ago after the Aryan Nations group lost the property after going bankrupt. Coeur D'Alene and the surrounding area has long been a hot bed for White Nationalist groups.”
{{/usCountry}}Another wrote, “That could be a potential motivation for todays attack on firefighters and law enforcement to get what they see as revenge for the destruction of the original Aryan Nations Security House Compound which was burned in a fire department training exercise 24 years ago after the Aryan Nations group lost the property after going bankrupt. Coeur D'Alene and the surrounding area has long been a hot bed for White Nationalist groups.”
{{/usCountry}}A third person added, “I am completely basing this off of vibes and have zero proof for it. But I am 50% sure that the Aryan Nations is behind that shooter situation over at Idaho, it's some group based exactly at this area.”