A fake news story about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a pizzeria led a man in the United States to start shooting inside the restaurant in Washington DC on Sunday. Police arrested North Carolina resident Edgar Maddison Welch and seized an assault rifle from him, AP reported.

Comet Ping Pong, a pizza restaurant located in an affluent neighbourhood of the US capital, became infamous during the presidential campaign after fake news reports claimed that the Democratic nominee and her campaign chief ran a child sex ring out of the outlet. Police said Welch had told them he had gone to the restaurant to investigate the story.

An employee of the pizza place was able to escape after Welch aimed the gun at him. He then alerted the police, who arrested the shooter without resistance and charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon. “I hope that those involved in fanning these flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away,” said James Alefantis, owner of Comet Ping Pong.