An Ohio man was arrested Friday in New York City after storming the stage at a Wikipedia conference with a gun and threatening to shoot himself, NBC News reported. A sign draped around his neck read, “Anti-Contact Non-Offending Pedophile,” according to the news outlet.
The NYPD has yet to publicly identify the suspect or make an official statement regarding his arrest.
The suspect reportedly waltzed onstage during an opening speech Friday at WikiConference North America 2025 — an annual event comprised of Wikipedia editors, fans and volunteers — at Civic Hall in Manhattan.
Maryana Iskander, who runs the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, was at the podium when the man interrupted, per The New York Times. Draped in a multicolored flag with gun in hand, he announced he was going to kill himself.
The man was still pointing his weapon at the ceiling when Andrew Lih and Richard Knipel, two Wikipedia contributors on the conference’s “trust and safety team,” rushed and disarmed him. Not a single shot was fired during the ordeal.
