UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect inspired by Unabomber: NYPD analysis
Luigi Mangione appears to have been inspired by the Unabomber in allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, an New York Police Department intel analysis says.
The report, obtained by ABC News, was distributed to law enforcement and warned that like Ted Kaczynski -- whose 17-year bombing campaign killed three and injured 23 people -- Mangione may become a "martyr" who inspires "a wide range of extremists" to act.
"Mangione may have found inspiration in Ted Kaczynski—the violent, anti-technology extremist known as the Unabomber—echoing in his note and reflecting in his targeting a similar mindset of the need for unilateral action to bring attention to abusive corporate actions," the report said.
According to the report, Mangione's social media profiles suggest he was concerned about the rate of technological advances and their harm on modern society, mirroring the motivations of Kaczynski.
Kaczynski's writings – published by the Washington Post and New York Times in 1995 – blamed technology for a decline of individual freedom and called for violent "revolution against the industrial system."
Mangione described Kaczynski's writings as "interesting" and described him as a prescient "political revolutionary," according to the report and a Goodreads profile reviewed by ABC News.
The report noted that Mangione was likely motivated by his belief that health insurance companies were "parasitic" and believed unilateral action could be symbolic to others.
"He appeared to view the targeted killing of the company's highest-ranking representative as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and 'power games,' asserting in his note he is the "'first to face it with such brutal honesty,'" the report said, directly quoting Mangione's writing.
In his writings, Mangione criticized corporations for increasing their profits and noted how the United States spends the most money on healthcare while only ranking forty-second in worldwide life expectancy, according to the report.
"Frankly these parasites simply had it coming," Mangione wrote, lamenting that these "mafiosa have gotten too powerful" and "continue to abuse our country for immense profit."
According to the report, Mangione likely viewed himself as a "hero" for confronting injustice "with such brutal honesty."
The report raised concerns with the response to Mangione's actions on social media, highlighting multiple instances when online users praised his actions and encouraged similar actions. "CEOs should all act like they have targets on their backs," one user wrote, according to the report, while another said "all CEO's should be considered."
"Based on observed initial online reactions to the shooting, including celebrations of the killing of a health insurance executive, there is a risk that a wide range of extremists may view Mangione as a martyr and an example to follow," the report said.
