Fact Check: FEMA 'Smart' Guillotines NOT Placed In FEMA Internment Camps | Lead Stories (2024)

Recycled Hoax

Have FEMA "smart" guillotines been placed in FEMA internment camps? No, that's not true: it is a re-cycled conspiracy hoax published by a website known to published bizarre fiction submitted by the general public as news. The claim that internment camps operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been stocked with modernized devices to chop off heads has been previously debunked by Lead Stories. The author offers no support for why President Trump, who controls FEMA, would prepare to execute thousands of Americans by chopping off their heads.

The claim originated in an article published by BeforeItsNews.com on May 12, 2020 titled "FEMA 'Smart' Guillotines Placed in FEMA Internment Camps" (archived here) which opened:

A United States Air force C-17 cargo plane arrived at Andrews Air Force Base loaded with crates of "smart" guillotines, says a White House insider speaking under condition of anonymity. The technologically advanced guillotines, he said, are being manufactured in Beijing before being flown exclusively to US airbases. Then, the military distributes the guillotines to FEMA camps nationwide.

Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:

FEMA "Smart" Guillotines Placed in FEMA Internment Camps (video) | Police State | Before It's News

A United States Air force C-17 cargo plane arrived at Andrews Air Force Base loaded with crates of "smart" guillotines, says a White House insider speaking under condition of anonymity. The technologically advanced guillotines, he said, are being manufactured in Beijing before being flown exclusively to US airbases. Then, the military...

The story provides no sourcing other than "a White House insider" to support the claim. If the plan to execute thousands of people with a guillotine is known by a "White House insider," President Trump would also know. The article gives no reasoning why President Trump plan to declare martial law and carry out the killing.

The story claims Texans are the first targets of the plan:

"FEMA's main focus is on Texas. All eyes on Texas. If there's going to be a public insurrection, they know the battle lines will be dawn in Texas. They know the patriot community is thick in Texas. That's why Texas is receiving more of these smart guillotines than any other state. FEMA's first strike will occur in Texas," our source said.

One big clue the story is a hoax is the geographic description of the first area -- "primarily 'red' states" -- to be targeted:

The Andrews AFB shipment--over 500 smart guillotines-was distributed by rail to FEMA zone six, an area encompassing Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Belgrade, and Arkansas, primarily "red" states likely to resist a declaration of Martial Law or a military incursion against the American people.

Belgrade is not an American state. It is a city in eastern Europe.

Previous debunks from Lead Stories concerning the FEMA guillotine conspiracy hoax are:

Fact Check: U.S. Government Does NOT Have 30,000 Guillotines, NOT Planning To Chop Heads

Fake News: Joe Biden Was Not Given Demonstration Of Guillotines During 4 Day Tour Of REX 84 FEMA Camps

The author of this story -- indentified in the byline as Madeea Greene -- published at least 10 other bizarre conspiracy stories in May 2020, including one titled "6 Billion People Humans To Be Killed By The Elite - NWO Depopulation Agenda."

NewsGuard, a company that uses trained journalist to rank the reliability of websites, describes beforeitsnews.com as:

A website that hosts user-submitted content and regularly publishes false information and conspiracy theories.

According to NewsGuard the site does not maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability. Read their full assessment here.

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

Read more about or contact Alan Duke