The New York Wikipedia conference was disrupted on Friday when an armed man, wearing a sign declaring himself to be an “anti-contact non-offending pedophile,’ got on stage and threatened to commit suicide.
During the opening ceremony, at 9 a.m., the man got on stage and pointed his gun at the ceiling. He was quickly tackled by conference organizers, a police officer and a Wikipedia spokesperson told NBC News.
The New York Post identified the man as 27-year-old Connor Weston. He had reportedly told the crowd, “I’m a non-contact pedophile. I want to kill myself.”
The man was later taken into custody, the Wikipedia spokesperson said.
'Minor-Attracted Persons'
In addition to the text on the sign draped around the man’s neck, the colors were the same as those seen on flags representing ‘Minor-Attracted Persons’ (MAPs).
Police are still investigating the motive in the incident.
Following the incident, Wikipedia canceled the events on Friday citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
“The rest of today’s program is cancelled, and there will be additional security as well as law enforcement onsite for the remainder of the event,” it said.
A social media account in Weston's name posted in June that he is “fundamentally against adult/minor relations because I know that they are harmful.”
“I don’t have any ‘urges’ that I have to control, just like how most straight men don’t have the urge to rape every woman they meet,” he wrote. “Pedophilia is not a choice. I can choose to not harm minors, but I cannot choose to stop being attracted to them.”