Aisha Tukur
Threats against aid workers fuelled by misinformation continue to affect hurricane recovery efforts in North Carolina, with workers briefly pulling out of one county over the weekend.
In order to keep staff safe, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has made some changes to how it is operating in the state, it said in a statement.
On Saturday, police in Rutherford County arrested a man who allegedly spoke publicly about harming relief workers and was found with a rifle and a handgun.
Meanwhile, a sheriff in Ashe County, about 100 miles (160km) to the south, said Fema workers briefly paused their work to assess threats they were facing.
Federal workers helping North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene have had to confront rising distrust from local residents. False conspiracy theories – many of them politically motivated – about land confiscation, cursory aid payments and deliberate weather manipulation have rapidly spread.
Reports indicate that several extremist groups are active in the area, attempting to capitalize on the disaster and the rumours.
Nearly 100 people died from the storm, according to state authorities, and an unknown number are still missing in the mostly rural region, which includes the city of Asheville.
Sheriffs in Rutherford County responded to reports of what they called “credible threats” against relief workers and arrested a suspect, William Jacob Parsons, during a traffic stop on Saturday.
Mr Parsons allegedly made the threats at a local store, according to Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Joseph McComas, who led the investigation
Authorities seized guns, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Lt McComas said .
Mr Parsons was charged with “going armed to the terror of the people,” a crime under state law punishable by a maximum of 120 days in jail, with bail set at $10,000, authorities said.
The BBC has attempted to contact Mr Parsons. A Facebook profile which matched his name, location and mugshot included dozens of posts about Covid, vaccine and voting conspiracies, along with several posts which included the logo of the anti-government militia group the Three Percenters.
Lt McComas told the BBC that a single individual was behind the threats directed at aid workers in the county.
Fema officials working locally were advised to move to a secure location, but returned to their usual assignments on Sunday.
There were initial reports that a “truck load of militia” were involved with the threats, but the sheriff’s office said it determined Mr Parsons acted alone.
The North Carolina National Guard said on Monday that it is looking into a report that its troops encountered armed militia groups in the county, a story first reported by the Washington Post, citing an internal email.
