LAWTON, Okla. (WWJ/AP) - The US Army issued a warning about the possibility of mass shootings at upcoming screenings of “Joker,” according to a new report.
A document prepared at a U.S. Army base in Oklahoma says officials have been alerted to "disturbing" online chatter about a potential mass shooting threat at a theater during next week's release of the movie "Joker," but it references no specific location.
Television station KSWO reports criminal intelligence officials at Fort Sill received an intelligence bulletin warning about a possible shooting on Oct. 4.
In another memo out Monday, top officials of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said it received “credible” intelligence from law enforcement in Texas about “disturbing and very specific chatter” on the dark web about “the targeting of an unknown movie theater during the release," according to the New York Post.
The email to service members explained that incels “idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against bullies," the Post reports.
Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, told The Associated Press officials are "not aware of any information indicating a specific, credible threat to a particular location or venue." Grey said the original information came from the Texas Department of Public Safety and was posted on social media.
Asked by WWJ Newsradio 950 about any potential concerns about screenings of the Joker in Michigan, the FBI in Detroit released the following statement:
"While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, the FBI is in touch with our law enforcement and private sector partners about the online posts. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activity to law enforcement."
In July of 2012, 12 people were killed and dozens were injured in a shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, theater during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Following public outcry, Aurora police say the new Joker movie will not be shown at the Aurora Century 16 theater, the site of the 2012 shooting.
MORE: Aurora Survivors Urge 'Joker' Studio To Support Gun Control