Says Luigi Mangione posted on X, “He who saves his country does not violate any law.”

Luigi Mangione, who’s facing first-degree murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in court Feb. 21 in Manhattan, chained and wearing a bulletproof vest, before returning to the federal facility in Brooklyn where he’s being detained.

He was taken into custody Dec. 19.

And there’s no evidence he has posted on X since well before then. 

But an altered image spreading on social media makes it appear as though Mangione recently published a message exonerating him of the crimes of which he’s accused. 

“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” reads what looks like a Feb. 15 X post from Mangione, whose X username is @PepMangione. 

An Instagram post sharing the image was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

According to his X feed, Mangione last posted on May 14, 2024, about lab-grown food. He shared posts from other X accounts through June. 

The image in the Instagram post purportedly from Mangione’s X account was altered. 

On Feb. 15, President Donald Trump posted on X: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” It’s a quote often attributed to French military leader and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

We rate claims Mangione posted it False.