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Edgar Maddison
Welch, 28, of Durham, North Carolina, is accused of firing an
AR-15 assault rifle inside the crowded Comet Ping Pong
restaurant on Dec. 4. No one was injured.
Welch will appear in District of Columbia Superior Court accused
of assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful discharge of a
firearm, and other weapons charges.
Welch told police he wanted to free children from a pedophilia
ring that bogus news stories said 2016 Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton ran out of the restaurant.
The stories were an example of a proliferation of fake news
reports during the U.S. election cycle, often disseminated
through websites purporting to be news outlets and quoting bogus
sources.
The hearing had been scheduled for last week but a judge delayed
it to give Welch's attorney, a federal public defender, more
time to investigate and to let family members attend.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Bill
Trott)
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