protection. In retaliation for writing The Scandal of Scientology, some members of the Church of Scientology stole stationery from author Paulette Cooper's home and then used that stationery to forge bomb threats and have them mailed to a Scientology office. The Guardian's Office also had a plan for further operations to discredit Cooper known as Operation Freakout, but several Scientology operatives were arrested in a separate investigation and the plan was exposed. According to PolitiFact, some false flag conspiracy theories (such as claims that mass shootings are hoaxes) are themselves spread by astroturfing, which is an attempt to create false impression of popularity in a belief. See also Concepts Agent provocateur Black propaganda Casus belli Denial and deception Fear mongering Frameup Front organization Joe job, a similar online concept Mimicry Red herring State terrorism Strategy of tension Examples Celle Hole Istanbul Pogrom Marxist-Leninist Party of the Netherlands (fake party set up by the Dutch security service) Masada Action and Defense Movement (French white supremacists, under the guise of a fake extremist Zionist movement, conducted bombings of Arab targets in France in an attempt to start a war between French Arabs and Jews.) First of the Baralong incidents References External links Intelligence operations by type Diversionary tactics Propaganda techniques Psychological warfare techniques Law of war Piracy Deception Military deception