SUEZ, Egypt — (Note: The video above is from a previous report.)
A set of strange coincidences has conspiracy theorists buzzing with claims that the ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal last month is a human trafficking vessel linked to Hillary Clinton.
QUESTION:
Is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton connected to Ever Given, the ship that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal?
ANSWER: No
SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
In March, a cargo ship built in 2018 as one of the largest in the world called the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
QAnon theorists on social media pointed out that Ever Given's call sign is "H3RC," similar to Hillary Clinton's initials, HRC. The ship is operated by Evergreen Marine, and Clinton's Secret Service code name is Evergreen.
Those speculations led to a Facebook post claiming without evidence that Evergreen "is most likely a cover for human and sex trafficking."
Another post points out that one of the tugboats sent to help free the quarter-mile-long ship that ran aground was called "Baraka1," implying a connection to former President Barack Obama.
The claims are part of a larger QAnon conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump was elected to end a "deep state" involving pedophiles and cannibals.
Evergreen denies it is engaged in any illegal activity and "is not now and has never in the past been connected in any way whatsoever to Hillary Rodham Clinton," the company stated in a March 29 USA Today article.
Evergreen Marine was established in 1968, long before Clinton warranted Secret Service protection, and the Ever Given's call sign of H3RC is a coincidence.
The International Telecommunications Union regulates maritime call signs, with the first two characters designating the nation from which the ship sails. H3 is the designation for Panama, according to the agency's regulations.
ANSWER:
No, there is no evidence linking Hillary Clinton to the Ever Given cargo ship.