Did the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting Luigi Mangione allegedly post a scheduled YouTube video after his arrest? Controversy explored

Within hours of Luigi Mangione's arrest, a suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a video was posted on what many thought was Mangione's YouTube channel. The one-and-a-half-minute-long video, titled The Truth, is essentially a countdown, with the words:

"If you see this, I'm already under arrest."

However, readers should note that the video has since been deleted and the official @TeamYouTube account has clarified in a post on X that the channel was terminated for impersonation. Indicating that the contents of the video were false and not affiliated with Luigi Mangione.

The news of Luigi Mangione being arrested in Brian Thompson's murder case immediately went viral on social media after it broke on December 9, 2024. Netizens tracked the suspect's social media accounts and the fake YouTube channel where the video was posted initially garnered traction for sharing the same username as what appears to be Luigi Mangione's X account — @PepMangione.

To increase engagement, the supposed fake video hinted that more information would be released on December 11, 2024. This led many to think that Luigi Mangione's manifesto would be uploaded on that date. However, according to the above community note, the YouTube channel was made on December 9, the day of his arrest, leading the platform to terminate it after the video started gaining traction.

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Fake Luigi Mangione YouTube video promised to reveal more information on December 11 (2024)

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot twice on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan. CCTV footage from the shooting started circulating online within hours, and discussion about the targeted attack dominated social media in the following days.

On December 9, 2024, Luigi Mangione was taken into custody as a suspect in the shooting case, as per CNN. He was arrested on gun-related charges after a McDonald's employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania called the police after recognizing him. Per the latest update, officials from the FBI and NYPD have arrived in Pennsylvania to question Mangione.

While he has not been charged for Brian Thompson's death, the news of Luigi Mangione's arrest has gone viral on social media, with his X and Instagram accounts seeing a surge in followers in the last couple of hours (as of this writing). The fake YouTube channel, which many mistook as affiliated with Mangione, also went viral after what appeared to be a pre-uploaded video anticipating his arrest went live within hours following his arrest.

The video titled The Truth is just a few sentences overlayed on top of a minute-long countdown. While the video starts by insinuating that it is from Luigi Mangione, YouTube's termination of the channel on the grounds of impersonation indicates that the suspect had nothing to do with it. However, what has drawn the interest of many online is that the video ends with a promise of more information that is supposedly going to be released on December 11, 2024.

The last line, reading "Soon... Dec 11th", flashes for just one second at the 1:20 mark of the video in the bottom right, indicating that another video is scheduled to come out on that date. This is followed by another message displayed in the center of the screen, which reads:

"All is scheduled, be patient. Bye for now."

The December 11 message in the video (Image via Luigi Mangione/YouTube)

Again, readers should note that the YouTube channel has been terminated and the fake video has been removed from the platform so no new video on December 11 will be forthcoming.