The deadly taking pictures of a Chinese language-born coronavirus researcher on US soil has fuelled conspiracy theories around the globe.

Bing Liu, a 37-year-old assistant professor on the College of Pittsburgh Faculty of Drugs, was discovered lifeless in his home on Saturday.

Colleagues stated he was shut to creating “important findings” on his research of Covid-19, sparking on-line hypothesis it was an assassination.

However police say it was a murder-suicide.

Why did Liu die?

He was discovered with a number of gunshot wounds to the pinnacle, neck, torso and extremities at his dwelling within the Pittsburgh suburbs, in response to the native police division.

The gunman was recognized as 46-year-old software program engineer Hao Gu. Authorities say he took his personal life after returning to his automobile.

Liu and Gu knew one another, murder detectives stated.

The investigation has decided it was a murder-suicide ensuing from “a prolonged dispute relating to an intimate accomplice”.

They stated there was “zero proof” the case was linked to Liu’s analysis work and the present public well being disaster.

Who was Liu?

In a press release, Liu’s colleagues describe him as an excellent researcher who “was on the verge of constructing very important findings” in direction of understanding the mobile mechanisms of Covid-19 an infection.

They mourned Liu’s passing and pledged to finish his analysis “in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence”.

Liu, a local of China, earned his Bachelor’s diploma and PhD in pc science in Singapore earlier than conducting analysis within the US.

Based on his on-line CV, he had collaborated with biologists and clinicians to review human immunity.

What are the conspiracy theorists saying?

“Oh my god,” a consumer on the Chinese language social media platform Weibo wrote. “This looks like coming straight out of Mission Not possible. Maybe he came upon that the virus originated from an American lab.”

Many comparable feedback prompt Liu was killed as a result of he was supposedly about to unravel the thriller of coronavirus’ origin.

Chinese language officers and state media had beforehand promoted a baseless declare that the virus originated within the US and was dropped at Wuhan by American troopers.

Some Weibo customers stated the case “appears too coincidental”.

“A really uncommon case. There are possible secrets and techniques hidden at midnight,” one comment learn.

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Many Weibo feedback prompt Liu’s Chinese language background might have put him in danger within the US, although no proof has emerged that Liu was focused due to his ethnicity.

International Instances, an internet site affiliated with the Chinese language state media, printed an article varied hypothesis surrounding Liu’s dying.

On Twitter, in the meantime, some have speculated on unfounded claims that the Chinese language authorities might have performed a job within the case.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, quite a lot of conspiracy theories concerning the virus and its origins proceed to be unfold on on-line platforms. Some unverified claims have been promoted by politicians and media retailers in each the US and China.