US President Donald Trump’s administration and his (Make America Great Again) MAGA allies have disseminated a flurry of misinformation about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in the US city of Minneapolis.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday claimed that Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, had “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun”, and that agents had “attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted”.

Video footage shot by bystanders shows Pretti filming a group of US Border Patrol agents on Saturday before stepping in to defend a woman who was shoved to the ground by one agent.

In footage shared by US-based Drop Site news, Pretti can be seen trying to help the woman before at least five agents tackle him to the ground and shoot him multiple times after a scuffle on the icy road.

Analysis of footage by US media and Bellingcat, a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group, shows that Pretti’s gun had already been confiscated by an agent before he was shot dead.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara later told reporters that Pretti was a “lawful gun owner” with a permit, and that his only criminal history was a few traffic tickets.

Despite the video evidence, Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino told a news conference that Pretti’s gun showed that he “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”.

Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security, claimed without evidence that Pretti was an “assassin” who tried to “murder federal agents”, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said he had “violently” resisted arrest.

Popular right-wing influencers amplified the Trump administration’s claims on X.

The MAGA-allied account “Libs of TikTok” labelled Pretti a “lunatic” and an “assassin”.

Right-wing influencer Alexander Muse told his 681,000 followers that Pretti was “expecting a firefight at a distance” with federal agents despite there being no evidence that he ever took out or brandished his gun.

Some right-wing influencers went even further than echoing the Trump administration’s narrative, piling blatant misinformation on top of officials’ baseless accusations.

Trump ally Nick Sorter, who has 1.4 million followers on X, falsely claimed that Pretti, a US citizen, was an “illegal alien” who was “armed with a gun and attempted to PULL IT on agents as he was being apprehended”.

Conservative podcaster Jesse Kelly smeared Pretti as a “soldier for the communist revolution” who had “died fighting in a war” in an X post that included a photo of Pretti on a hike.

MAGA-affiliated accounts also shared digitally altered images purporting to be pictures of Pretti dressed in female clothing.

In a statement, Pretti’s parents said their son was a “kindhearted soul” and that the administration’s “sickening lies” about him were “reprehensible and disgusting”.

Claims that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” and scrutiny of his political beliefs mirror similar accusations levelled at Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was also fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this month.

Trump administration officials also described Good as a “terrorist” and claimed that she was trying to run over an immigration officer with her vehicle despite video evidence casting doubt on those claims.

Officials have also spread misleading information seemingly aimed at discrediting protests against Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown more generally.

The White House last week shared an image of an arrested activist, Nekima Levy Armstrong, that had been altered with artificial intelligence to make her look emotionally distressed.

Some Republicans have pushed back on the narrative pushed around Pretti’s death, including Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who said on X that “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right”.

The National Rifle Association, a pro-gun lobby group, also rejected a suggestion by a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor  that approaching a law enforcement officer with a gun could be grounds for being shot.

Minnesota law enforcement officials have also contested statements by Trump administration officials, including a claim by Vice President JD Vance that local authorities refused to assist their federal counterparts in the investigation into Pretti’s killing.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said on Sunday that it was state authorities who were being obstructed, stating in a statement on X that its officers had been denied access to the crime scene by the DHS.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies including Target, Best Buy and UnitedHealth signed an open letter posted on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website on Sunday calling for state, local and federal officials to work together, as businesses grapple with how to address tensions in the state and across the country following two fatal shootings by federal agents amid a massive immigration enforcement operation that has spurred protests.

“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions,” the open letter reads.

CEOs that signed the letter included 3M CEO William Brown, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, Target incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Helmsley, and others.

Before the letter, most of the biggest Minnesota-based companies had not issued any public statements about the enforcement surge and unrest.

But the issue has become more difficult to avoid. Over the past two weeks protesters have targeted some businesses they see not taking a strong enough stand against federal law enforcement activity, including Minneapolis-based Target. Earlier in January a Minnesota hotel that wouldn’t allow federal immigration agents to stay there apologized and said the refusal violated its own policies after a furor online.

Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities cited devastating economic impacts in a lawsuit filed this month imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration operations. The lawsuit asserted that some businesses have reported sales drops up to 80%.

“In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future,” the letter reads.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday called President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO allies’ role in Afghanistan “unacceptable,” pushing back against suggestions they “stayed a little back” from the front lines.

“Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 for the first and only time in its history: an extraordinary act of solidarity toward the United States,” Meloni wrote on X.

“In that massive operation against those who fueled terrorism, Italy responded immediately alongside its allies, deploying thousands of troops and taking full responsibility for Regional Command West, one of the most significant operational areas of the entire international mission,” she said.

Meloni explained that Italy’s nearly two decades of involvement in Afghanistan came at a significant cost, with 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded during combat operations, security missions and training programs for Afghan forces.

TRUMP SAYS US SHOULD HAVE TESTED NATO BY INVOKING ARTICLE 5 OVER BORDER SECURITY

“For this reason, statements that minimize the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially if they come from an allied Nation,” she added. 

“Italy and the United States are bound by a solid friendship, founded on a shared community of values and historical collaboration, which is even more necessary in the face of the many current challenges. But friendship requires respect, a fundamental condition for continuing to ensure the solidarity at the heart of the Atlantic Alliance.”

Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO allies’ reliability, including whether they would come to the United States’ aid if ever called upon.

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE

He unsettled U.S. allies across Europe, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, after downplaying their contributions in Afghanistan during an interview with FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo at the World Economic Forum.

“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them,” Trump said of NATO. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this and that. And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

Trump later appeared to soften his remarks in a Saturday post on Truth Social, praising the sacrifices of British troops in Afghanistan.

“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” he wrote.

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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also highlighted the broader international toll of the war, citing the sacrifices of 31 allied nations that fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

He thanked those countries for answering the call after Sept. 11, noting that 159 troops from Canada, 90 from France, 62 from Germany, 44 from Poland and 43 from Denmark were among those killed in the conflict.