What is CFIUS? James Yoo social media pages go viral in wake of Arlington House explosion

James Yoo, the 56-year-old owner of a house that exploded on a residential street in Arlington, Virginia, is presumed to have died in the explosion. The incident reportedly happened during a standoff with the police on the night of Monday, December 4,

In the wake of the explosion, Yoo’s social media accounts have come under scrutiny and gone viral. The posts paint the suspect as a conspiracy theorist who, among other things, believed the January 6 Capitol riot was an inside job.

The suspect's social media posts, especially his LinkedIn profile, which has been taken down but was uploaded in video form on YouTube by him, showed a string of reportedly conspiratorial and anti-government rants.

His profile also alleged he worked in security for CFIUS an acronym for “Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States,” a federal interagency committee tasked with reviewing transactions involving foreign investments in the U.S.

Yoo, who also allegedly worked as “former head of information and physical security for an international telecommunication company,” claimed the government were spying on him due to his association with CFIUS. In one of his posts on Linkedin, Yoo alleged:

“I was being spied on by the U.S. government for previously working as head of security for CFIUS!! They assume I am a traitor.”

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James Yoo's social media posts explored in wake of the Arlington explosion

James Yoo was identified as the man inside an Arlington duplex when it exploded Monday night. Police said that Yoo was presumed to be dead, noting human remains were located inside the residence. On Monday, around 4:45 pm, police responded to a home in the 800 block of North Burlington Street on reports of a man firing a flare gun in the neighborhood.

While police believe that James Yoo fired the flare gun more than 30 times, no injuries were reported. Upon arrival, police tried to engage with the owner of the property, who refused to comply. When authorities attempted to serve a search warrant, Yoo reportedly barricaded himself inside the home and refused to engage with the police, who tried to coax him out via telephone and loudspeakers.

Authorities said when officers tried to breach the residence forcefully, they believed they heard multiple gunshots from inside the home. As they failed to locate the source, police reportedly deployed chemicals meant to force Yoo into surrender before the house exploded. Video of the explosion shows the house engulfed in flames Monday night.

As police said they were investigating the circumstances of the explosion, Yoo’s social media activities began circulating online. While barricaded in his house, Yoo reportedly logged his since-deleted LinkedIn profile via screenshots uploaded in video format on YouTube.

In the profile, Yoo, who described himself as a former employee of CFIUS “Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States,” often went on an anti-government tirade. His bio read:

“I gave THEM/YALL every opportunity to ‘do the right thing. All I see is America’s hypocrisy, corruption, fraud, conspiracy, CHICKENS**T.”

In one concerning post, James Yoo accused the government of spying on citizens:

“I doubt America and DoD changed their network security architecture since my CFIUS days around 2003 ... but Checkpoint Security (Israeli-based company) firewalls and security products are deeply entrenched throughout the Americas and DoD's network (including the Internet). This is NOT a secret. THEY intentionally sacrificed America's & DoD's security to Israel.”

Other posts called to "Defund the FBI and CIA" and accused his next-door neighbors and their children of being spies. Police Chief Andy Penn with the Arlington County Police Department said that they were aware of Yoo’s concerning social media posts as they continue to investigate the explosion.

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James Yoo filed a lawsuit against his sister and ex-wife in 2018

According to ABC, the extent of James Yoo’s conspiracy theories was also detailed in a federal lawsuit he filed in 2018 against Rochester General Hospital in New York, the local sheriff's office, his sister and his ex-wife.

In the lawsuit, James Yoo claimed that his sister and now ex-wife conspired to hospitalize him against his will in 2015. Yoo, who tied multiple conspiracies to his mother's death, also alleged that 9/11 and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election were somehow tied into his claims.

He also accused New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush of masquerading as an FBI agent to gain entrance to his home in 2017. The suit was dismissed as the judge deemed them to be rooted in delusions.