Fact Check: Was Sahil Omar named as a suspect in the Kansas Parade shooting? Twitter claim explored

Sahil Omar's name surfaced on social media during the Kansas Parade shooting. Some people even asserted that he is a "44-year-old illegal immigrant" who was part of the incident.

However, as per sources like BBC, three people have been taken into custody in relation to the shooting that occurred in Kansas City on Wednesday, February 14. Two of them are minors. Additional information about the suspects or the weapons used has not been made public by the authorities, yet.

Nevertheless, contrary to the viral claim, there was no one involved in the incident by the name Sahil Omar. There is actually no suspect officially named in the Kansas City parade shooting.

Sahil Omar is a frequent name that falsely circulates on different social media platforms after any shooting or incident, propagated by social media. The name of the suspect has been falsely linked to a list of shootings and explosions in the past.

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There was no suspect named Sahil Omar

The name Omar was a fake one (Image via Pexels)

According to the BBC, during the Chiefs' Super Bowl triumph parade on Wednesday, February 14, there was a shooting outside the Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, that resulted in several people sustaining injuries, including young children and teenagers. The incident claimed, at least, one life.

As per CBS News, officials said they treated seven patients with potentially fatal injuries, in addition to the eight victims who were in immediately life-threatening condition.

Three people are being held by the police in connection with the event, but they have not yet been able to identify the shooter. Hence, it is not true that some X users have asserted Sahil Omar is one of the suspects' names.

On the other hand, this exact name first came to light when an explosion occurred at a Fort Worth, Texas hotel on January 8, 2024. Social media misidentified Sahil Omar, a 44-year-old immigrant, as the suspect during that incident.

Sources like Reuters have debunked the claims that there was ever any suspect in the Fort Worth incident.

As per the same source, the explosion that occurred at the hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. However, authorities have not yet identified a suspect.

On the other hand, according to USA Today, in a now-deleted Instagram post from January 8, a screenshot of a post regarding the explosion at the Texas hotel can be found. The caption of the post says:

"BREAKING: The suspect of the #explosion at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Hotel in Texas, USA, has been identified as 44 year-old (sic) migrant Sahil Omar. Authorities have yet to find a motive”.

The same source claims that this news was circulated in a similar form on Facebook, Instagram, and X, which have now been deleted.

However, as reported by Reuters, a since-deleted Facebook post that included images of the explosion's aftermath stated:

“Explosion at Ft. Worth, TX. The suspect has been identified as 44 year-old migrant Sahil Omar. As many as 11 people were injured. #OpenBorders #ItBegins”.

As reported by USA Today, the actual truth is, on January 8, 2024, the explosion at the Sandman Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, caused, at least, 21 injuries. The incident appeared to be related to a gas leak.

According to the same source, when the fire department reacted to the explosion, they detected "an odor of gas," according to a post made by the Fort Worth Police Department on the messaging app X.

They stated that the inquiry is still on. Additionally, as per the above-mentioned sources, Fort Worth Police Department spokesperson Jimmy Pollozani stated that, at this stage of the investigation, the allegations made on social media are unfounded.

Therefore, there is no proof that Sahil Omar was the cause of the explosion at the Sandman Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas.