Fact Check: Did FBI find multiple boxes of algae seeds at Antifa headquarters?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid allegations of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as President Donald Trump’s seeks to repair it, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that the FBI has discovered multiple boxes of algae seeds at the Antifa headquarters, sparking speculation. Let us fact-check the claim’s authenticity.
Claim: FBI found boxes of algae seeds at the Antifa headquarters
According to a post that surfaced on X, the FBI agents have reported the discovery of multiple boxes of algae seeds at Antifa headquarters. The post was accompanied by an image of the seeds along with the watermark of CBS News.
The post has garnered strong reactions from online users who are blaming Antifa and leftists for the algae blooms and peeling blue paint of the pool, stalling President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to renovate the iconic pool.
The claim has also spread on Facebook and Reddit, garnering thousands of views.
Fact Check: The claims are not supported by facts
The claim, however, is false, as there are no such reports by the FBI or CBS News. A search on the outlet’s official website for the claim yielded no results.
There are also official announcements or statements from the FBI that support the claim of discovering algae seeds. Moreover, Antifa is not a registered organisation with active membership; hence, the mention of its headquarters is baseless.
A search on Google for relevant keywords also did not yield credible reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, will not go unreported.
According to a fact check by Grok, “This is satire. No FBI raid found ‘algae seeds’ at any Antifa headquarters. Antifa is a decentralized movement without a formal headquarters or centralized organization, and algae reproduce via spores or cell division rather than seeds.”
Reflecting pool faces fresh repair work after million-dollar restoration
The pool is set to undergo another round of repair work months after the Trump administration spent around $14 million of taxpayers' money on renovation work.
The development comes after photos revealing algae and peeling paint surfaced, inviting huge backlash, which Trump attributed to vandalism and alleged that a chemical was poured by vandals to destroy the historical site.
The pool water turned green due to an algae bloom shortly after Trump’s ambitious plan to renovate the site.
The repair work cost had increased by around 41.5 million to $14.7 million from the initially estimated cost of $13.1 million within a span of a month.
