An apparent pipe bomb found at CNN’s New York offices on Wednesday featured a parody ISIS flag popularized by a meme in 2014, according to reports.
The flag resembles that of the self-styled Islamic State but replaces the flag’s Arabic with silhouettes of women commonly seen on the mud flaps of trucks, along with the phrase “Get ’Er Done,” as NBC News’ Ben Collins first reported. He and the New York Post cited unnamed senior law enforcement officials as confirming that the image was featured on the device.
The explosive device ― one of several suspicious packages sent to high-profile Democrats this week ― was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who does not work on CNN.
Its discovery in the mailroom led to the evacuation of CNN’s New York newsroom Wednesday morning. Investigators found what appeared to be a pipe bomb featuring the parody ISIS flag alongside an “envelope containing white powder” that is currently being tested, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill told reporters. It’s unclear whether the image was found on other packages sent to Hillary and Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaire philanthropist George Soros, and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), among others.
Its depiction of “Get ’Er Done,” a reference to the catchphrase of comedian Larry the Cable Guy, has led some on Twitter to call it the “hillbilly ISIS flag.” Some on the right have claimed that the right-wing parody is evidence that the bomb plot is a “false flag” operation run by the Democrats ― a conspiracy theory that a concerning number of pro-Trump pundits have subscribed to.
The parody flag was created for a joke story in 2014 by a right-wing parody site called World News Bureau, according to NBC News.
There also appears to be a picture of a face on the pipe bomb found at CNN, though it’s not clear whose face it is. The New York Police Department declined to comment on the flag and face.
