"Rare Elon W"— Netizens react as Elon Musk reinstates Luigi Mangione's X account after suspension

In light of Luigi Mangione's arrest on Monday, December 9, 2024, netizens found his X account (@PopMangione) suspended. Many, including Christopher W. Jones (user @Jonesin_4_420), believed keeping the account active provided masses with "unfiltered source material for insight" into Mangione's psyche. So, they wanted it to remain active.

When Christopher W. Jones shared a screenshot of the suspended account, X owner Elon Musk said:

"This happened without my knowledge. Looking into it."

Elon Musk's response (Image via X/ @Jonesin_4_420)

A few hours after Musk's tweet about looking into the account suspension, Mangione's X account (@PopMangione) was reinstated. Internet users were quick to react, one calling it a:

"Rare Elon w."

Many praised Musk for his quick response and transparency on the platform.

"Can we find out WHY the account was suspended or by whom?" a person remarked.

"Best top tier customer service! Thanks for sticking with transparency!" one praised.

"Thank you Elon for looking into this!" another added.

Others commented on how much data would have been scrubbed to fit a narrative.

"Interesting considering there’s an investigation under way. I wonder why they reinstated it?" one questioned.

"Did @elonmusk have the last 6 months scrubbed and if so why?" a user wondered.

"now that they corrected what they didn't like for their narrative. so they can keep vilifying him, make him look like a right winger and unabomber fan, etc." another wrote.

Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania as a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson was fatally shot outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4. The UnitedHealth CEO was headed for an investor meeting when a masked suspect shot him with a pistol.

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Luigi Mangione was arrested after a McDonald's worker recognized him from the photos publicized by the police

On Monday, December 9, law enforcement officers arrested Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. A worker reportedly recognized him from the photos released by authorities and immediately called the police.

Mangione was arraigned in Blair County Courthouse on Monday evening and charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

During a press conference announcing Luigi Mangione's arrest, police initially identified him as a "person of interest." According to an article by NPR, at the time of his arrest, police found a gun believed to be used in the shooting, a fake ID, and a handwritten document indicating his motivation.

In light of the news, Luigi Mangione's family released an official statement on Facebook, saying:

"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news."

Luigi Mangione is the grandson of a prominent Baltimore developer, Nicholas Mangione. CNN, citing Mangione's LinkedIn page, reported that he graduated from Gilman School, a private all-boys school in Baltimore, and was the class valedictorian.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania (an Ivy League college) with a master’s and bachelor’s degree in computer science. He has been working as a software engineer at TrueCar, an online car sales company.

Mangione is currently held without bail.