News
News

Cop shooting, Ebola scare in Atlanta invented by Russians: Report

A person wearing a haz-mat suit carries a wrapped object out of an ambulance into Emory University Hospital after an ebola patient was taken in for treatment, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Atlanta. The fourth American aid worker sickened with the Ebola virus arrived Tuesday morning for treatment at Emory University Hospital, where two others have been successfully treated. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Credit: David Goldman

Credit: David Goldman

A person wearing a haz-mat suit carries a wrapped object out of an ambulance into Emory University Hospital after an ebola patient was taken in for treatment, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Atlanta. The fourth American aid worker sickened with the Ebola virus arrived Tuesday morning for treatment at Emory University Hospital, where two others have been successfully treated. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
June 3, 2015

The hoax had two different names, with two different hashtags (#EbolaInAtlanta and #shockingmurderinatlanta), but the intent was the same.

"The attention to detail was remarkable, suggesting a tremendous amount of effort," wrote the Times' Adrian Chen. A recent Beyoncé single played in the background of a fake video, which also included a shot of a vehicle with the Hartsfield-Jackson logo.

Its cyber tactics routinely targeted the Russian government's domestic and foreign "enemies," as well as political dissidents, Chen wrote.

And one day last winter, it targeted Atlanta.

ExploreRead Chen's complete investigation of the Internet Research Agency here
More Stories

Keep Reading

Atlanta civil rights leader and international human rights activist Joe Beasley, pictured in 2011, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at age 88. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2011 )

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Atlanta’s Joe Beasley, international civil and human rights advocate, dies

Joe Beasley who was just two weeks shy of his 89th birthday, according to his family, was "a moral force in Atlanta."

Warnock urges ‘a common humanity’ in wake of shootings

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., appears on "Meet The Press" on Sunday, sharing his thoughts on the fatal shootings in the news, health care costs and the 2026 elections.

Georgia high school coach choked player, put another in headlock, warrants say

The Greene County High coach was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of simple battery, according to investigators.

The Latest

(Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

High school scoreboard: Latest championship games

Atlanta’s Joe Beasley, international civil and human rights advocate, dies

A.M. ATL: Where’d the students go?

Featured

A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar

Trump administration slashes Georgia migrant farmworker H-2A wages

The state’s agriculture industry relies on the H-2A farmworker visa program. A federal lawsuit is challenging the change.

Brian Kemp’s lame-duck dilemma: Swing big or play it safe?

The two-term Georgia governor enters his last legislative session next month.

Fate of Confederate souvenir store in limbo amid legal battle over estate

The future of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus Store has long been a topic of debate in Kennesaw, especially since proprietor Dent Myers’ death nearly four years ago.