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Writer Gurwinder Bhogal recently tagged the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, Luigi Mangione, as "one of the nicest people." According to the NY Post's December 17, 2024 report, Bhogal, a British freelance journalist who writes for a Substack monthly called The Prism, had a two-hour video conversation with Mangione in May. The outlet also reported that he exchanged 20 emails with the suspect between April and June.
In an X post about their interactions, he also called Mangione "genuinely one of the nicest people I've ever met." In the same X post, which was uploaded on December 9, 2024, he shared a screenshot of the email Luigi sent him regarding the video call. The caption read:
“I had a two hour video-call with Mangione, the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, in May. He genuinely seemed like one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. After the chat he spontaneously bought me subscriptions to services he thought would help me with writing.”
Gurwinder Bhogal, the British-Indian author, has had pieces published in Areo, Quillette, The Humanist, The Sunday Express, and on the blog of Quilliam, a think group that opposes extremism.
Gurwinder Bhogal and Luigi Mangione further discussed the problems of mobile phones and other issues of today's world
Before relocating to Luton to do research on extremism, Gurwinder Bhogal worked in information security and earned a degree in computer science from the University of Leicester, as per his biography on The Humanist website. It further stated that his work has appeared on Quilliam's blog and in the Sunday Express. He is currently writing a book about religion in the age of information.
Now, according to Bhogal, Luigi Mangione emailed him in April 2024 to express his admiration for The Prism, reported the NY Post. The two allegedly spoke about politics in a video conversation in May after exchanging emails.
During the call, Mangione apparently wanted to talk about two of Bhogal's Substack papers in particular. As per NBC News, Bhogal said:
“We briefly touched on the differences between the U.K. and U.S. health care systems… Luigi complained about how expensive healthcare in the U.S. was and expressed envy at the U.K.'s nationalized health system.”
According to the NY Post, he then recalled Luigi Mangione saying that he opposed identity politics, DEI, and wokeness but was an advocate for equality. As per another report by NBC News dated December 14, 2024, Bhogal continued by saying that Mangione had discussed his experiences in Japan and criticized the country's citizens for behaving like "NPCs."
On the other hand, Bhogal said in an email to The Post on December 10, 2024:
“Overall, the impression I got of him, besides his curiosity and kindness, was a deep concern for the future of humanity, and a determination to improve himself and the world.”
Furthermore, he asserted that although Luigi disagreed with the Unabomber's acts, he was captivated by his philosophy. Bhogal then went on to say that he was "bewildered" by the news that the suspected UHC shooter had been arrested.
“He was so thoughtful and polite that he seemed like the last person I’d suspect of murdering someone,” he said.
Gurwinder Bhogal then disclosed to The Mail why he believed it to be a "cry for help." As per the outlet's December 11, 2024 report, he revealed that he was afraid Brian Thompson may still be alive today if he had responded to Mangione.
Stating the same, he said about the suspected UHC CEO:
“This was the last message Luigi sent me.. I forgot to get back to him. Looking back, it may have been a cry for help. I wonder if I could’ve saved him and Brian Thompson if I’d just responded to the message.”
Additionally, he thought that Luigi Mangione might have become radicalized in the months preceding the shooting in light of the content on his social media accounts. He disclosed that Luigi Mangione had asked him for suggestions on how to more effectively select the posts he was seeing.
Luigi Mangione is currently incarcerated at the Huntingdon State Correctional Institution prison.
