The Qanon 'child kidnapping' hit-piece taken up by the Washington Post
A mother teamed up with QAnon followers to kidnap her son from protective custody, police say
By Brittany Shammas
Cynthia Abcug became “a bit crazy” after Colorado child welfare officials removed her son from her custody, her daughter told authorities.
As she struggled with the separation, the 50-year-old woman was increasingly consumed by the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, according to police records. She made frequent appearances on fringe YouTube shows, claiming in one September video that child protective services “has child trafficking rings in certain areas.” She stopped going to therapy and started leaving her Denver-area home only to meet with QAnon followers; one of them, an armed man, stayed with her for “self-defense.” She spoke of “evil Satan worshipers” and pedophiles, according to what her daughter told police.
Adherents of the baseless and bizarre QAnon theory, which posits an international cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles that will soon be dismantled by President Trump, rallied around her. They offered support on Twitter and donated to a GoFundMe for her legal case.
It all culminated in Abcug’s arrest in what police in Parker, Colo., have characterized as a plot to kidnap her son through a raid conducted by QAnon believers — the latest alarming incident connected to the elaborate conspiracy theory. The mother of four was taken into custody on Dec. 30 in Kalispell, a Montana city on the outskirts of Glacier National Park.
Charged with felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping, Abcug was released after posting bond, Parker police spokesman Josh Hans told The Washington Post. She could not be reached for comment, but a Twitter account associated with her posted an update on Jan. 1, two days after the arrest.
“Still fighting for my children,” it said. “Need prayers I am not giving up.”
The foiled kidnapping plot was not the first serious crime allegedly inspired by the QAnon theory. In June 2018, a man was arrested on terrorism charges after driving an armored truck to the Hoover Dam to demand the government release a report that QAnon adherents believed would expose the “deep state.”
The killing last March of reputed Gambino family crime boss Frank Cali was reportedly motivated by the QAnon-obsessed suspect’s contention that Cali was part of the deep state. In August, Yahoo News reported that an FBI intelligence bulletin had identified QAnon as a potential domestic terrorism threat — a first for a fringe conspiracy theory.
Abcug’s descent into the far fringes of Internet conspiracy land appears to have been triggered by her son’s removal.
A warrant by the Parker Police Department says that child protective services took custody of her child because Abcug was suspected of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which a caregiver fabricates a child’s illness to garner sympathy and attention. The warrant is heavily redacted, with the child’s name concealed, but Abcug has publicly identified her 7-year-old son as being the one in question.
Officials with Colorado’s Division of Child Welfare said they could not confirm or deny the family’s involvement with the agency or discuss any of the allegations. But speaking generally, intake administrator Laura Solomon said children are only removed from a home after the agency has obtained a police or court hold based on a belief the child is in danger. She said it happens only as a last resort.
“We want children to be with families whenever possible,” she said.
Abcug pressed her side of the story repeatedly in interviews with conservative websites and on talk shows affiliated with QAnon and the Patriot Movement, which championed the tale as an example of government overreach or worse: a government-sponsored kidnapping.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2020/01/08/mother-teamed-up-with-qanon-followers-kidnap-her-son-protective-custody-police-say/
How QAnon, the bizarre pro-Trump conspiracy theory, took hold in right-wing circles online
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qlJMEUSSWU