At a demonstration in Philadelphia related to George Floyd that ended in rioting, a woman wearing a mask was caught on camera throwing a burning object into a police car through her broken window.
Starting from the results of a helicopter camera caught by a local news station that was broadcast live, the FBI conducted an investigation to uncover the identity of the person behind the mask.
A few days into the investigation, the Department of Homeland Security sent a video originating from Vimeo to the FBI. The contents of the video show the perpetrators of arson in action.
The demonstrators set fire to a police car
Subsequent investigations were carried out by searching Instagram until finally the FBI managed to find photos that perpetuate the incident.
An Instagram owner agreed to provide the FBI with other photos, and it was from these photos that the FBI found a peace sign tattoo engraved on the arsonist's arm.
The FBI then received a shipment of 500 photos from an amateur photographer covering the protests at that time. Although the FBI still cannot identify the identity of the perpetrator through these photos, the shirt worn by the perpetrator becomes a new clue for the FBI.
How the FBI Traces the Identity of a Perpetrator Based on T-shirts
The front of the shirt displays a slogan that reads “Keep the Immigrants, Deport the Racists” which, upon investigation, turns out to be for sale on Etsy. The FBI then read the comments left by t-shirt buyers on the site.
One of the comments came from a user located in Philadelphia. The username shown is Xx Mv, but the username listed in his profile URL is alleycatlore.
Through Google, using "alleycatlore" as a search keyword, the FBI found a user named Lore-Elisabeth on the Poshmark site, which is a site for buying and selling clothing and clothing accessories.
The search term used next was “lore-elizabeth philadelphia” which brought the FBI to a web page on LinkedIn. The web page displays the profile of a woman who works in a company that provides therapeutic massage services.
The company's site features several videos uploaded to Vimeo. One of them shows a peace sign tattooed on the arm of a masseuse that looks much like the tattoo on the arm of the arsonist.
The website also displays Lore Elisabeth's telephone number, which the FBI used to find the woman's DMV card. This DMV card is equivalent to a SIM card (Driving License) in Indonesia. It contains the full address and date of birth of Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal.
The FBI then requests transaction records from Etsy using a subpoena (a court order). From there it was found that the color of the shirt purchased was the same as the color of the perpetrator's shirt, and the address of the buyer indicated Lore Elisabeth's address.
From the results of searching documents at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, a car was registered in the name of Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal with the exact same address, and this information was verified after the FBI conducted a reconnaissance operation at that address.
All the evidence the FBI found was enough to bring Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal to justice. According to a press release issued by the US Department of Justice and Attorney, the 33-year-old female activist faces a maximum prison sentence of 80 years and a fine of up to 500 thousand dollars.