The US army is warning soldiers to prepare for the possibility of mass shootings at screenings of the upcoming ‘Joker’ film, according to media reports.
The army issued a memo on September 18 in response to social media posts from extremists classified as “incels“. The memo instructed soldiers to “identify two escape routes” and “run, hide, fight” in the event of a shooting.
RT reports: Responding to a bulletin issued by the FBI, the US Army advised service members to prepare for the worst if they choose to see the controversial Warner Bros. film. According to an alert emailed to soldiers, the movie could galvanize ‘incels,’ also known as ‘involuntary celibates,’ or “guys who can’t get dates.”
In the message, Army officials stated 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.”
As a result, lonely men might show up at screenings and shoot everyone, the Army has theorized.
Soldiers have been instructed to “identify two escape routes” when entering theaters. If the theater is shot up, they were told to “run, hide, fight” – in that order.
“Run if you can,” the safety notice said. “If you’re stuck, hide (also known as ‘sheltering in place’) and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.”
The Army confirmed to Gizmodo that it had issued the warning, but stressed that it was simply responding to credible intelligence on the matter provided by law enforcement.
“We want our workforce to be prepared and diligent on personal safety, both inside the workplace and out,” a military spokesman said.
In 2014, a self-identified incel killed six people near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The Pentagon has apparently become increasingly worried about the widely-mocked sect. In June, a leaked US Air Force briefing detailed the alleged security threat posed by incels.
Niamh Harris