Sometimes a picture can paint a thousand laughs, and that’s what the FBI created when it tweeted a photo of a suspected Capitol rioter. Why was it funny? The person in question strongly resembles actor Rick Moranis.
The FBI’s tweet, which was likely unintended to be comical, brought Twitter to a laughing roar on Sunday, and Moranis quickly became a trending topic.
First, here’s the tweet from the FBI Sunday afternoon.
“You can help the #FBI identify individuals involved in the January 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol. Visit http://tips.fbi.gov if you recognize this person. Reference photo 268 in your tip.”
Photo by Evan Agostini/ImageDirect via Getty Images
So the bureau of investigations is looking for this person suspected to be involved in the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol as lawmakers gathered to confirm electoral votes for Joe Biden winning the 2020 presidential election.
Shortly after the FBI posted the man’s photo, it quickly got 5,000 comments and 6,000 likes.
The comments mentioned Moranis’ roles in “Spaceballs,” “Ghostbusters,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and other flicks.
“OMG! The @FBI is searching for Vinz Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer!,” one person wrote in reference to “Ghostbusters.”
Another wrote: “OMG. Only reason I stopped to read this tweet was because I thought it was Rick Moranis in Space Balls.”
Here are some photo and video comments:
Moranis found himself in off-screen headlines last Fall when he was randomly attacked and sucker punched on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The 67-year-old Canadian actor was knocked to the ground near West Central Park in September, and police arrested Marquis Ventura in November for his alleged involvement in the attack. It was the seventh assault charge in 2020 for Ventura, according to an ABC7 report.
The attack happened just a few blocks away from the apartment building where his “Ghostbusters” character, Louis Tully, lived.
Moranis sustained injuries to his head, back and hip, but he managed to get to a hospital on his own. He later reported the incident to the police.
More than 300 people have already been arrested for storming the Capitol in January. The insurgents blitzed past security and roamed the halls of Congress. They infiltrated the Senate chambers and occupied some of the lawmakers’ offices.
Five people were killed and more than 50 police officers were injured that day. No lawmakers were hurt.
Though the FBI’s tweet drew lots of laughs, comments and retweets, it also drew more serious comments. Some people thanked the FBI, some said they would be on the lookout for the Moraines look-a-like and, of course, some got political.
