Misinformation regarding explosives near a Trump rally goes viral on social media

Law enforcement officials on Long Island moved swiftly on Wednesday to debunk false social media posts claiming explosives had been discovered in a car near former President Donald Trump’s upcoming rally in New York. The unsubstantiated reports circulated prior to the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign event at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, following a recent potential assassination attempt against him. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder disclosed that a person possibly training a bomb detection dog near the rally site had erroneously claimed to find explosives. Lieutenant Scott Skrynecki clarified that the individual in question, who remains unnamed, was a civilian rather than a law enforcement agency member and had no association with the event set to attract numerous Trump supporters at the former home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

Trump’s rally at Nassau Coliseum marks his first appearance in the Long Island region since 2017. Earlier in the day, Skrynecki and other county officials promptly refuted the baseless online claims, which originated from a post by a reporter citing unnamed sources within the local police department. Despite the inaccurate speculations gaining traction on social media platforms, both Skrynecki and Christopher Boyle, spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, unequivocally dismissed the allegations as false and lacking any credibility.