Acting mayor of Massachusetts city photographed at QAnon rally -- but he says it was 'happenstance'

According to The Sun Chronicle, Jay DiLisio, the acting mayor of Attleboro, Massachusetts is claiming that it was only "happenstance" that he was photographed at a QAnon rally — and that he doesn't support the conspiracy theorist movement.

"The photo, along with two others that show the rally but that he does not appear in, were sent anonymously to The Sun Chronicle," reported Tom Reilly. "'I definitely do not support QAnon,' DiLisio said Monday in a phone interview. 'It could not be further from the truth. It’s because of the campaign, definitely.' He added, 'It’s a non-story.'"

The QAnon movement holds that America is controlled by a secret society of cannibalistic child sex trafficking Satanists who consume children's flesh and blood for immortality. The movement recycles many of the same tropes as the conspiracy theory that started the Nazi movement in Germany. The FBI has identified QAnon as a source of domestic terrorism, and some of its adherents have murdered their families and even a crime boss in the name of their ideology.

Despite his claims, the nature of the photo raises questions about whether DiLisio really just happened to be at the QAnon rally. The picture shows him posing for a shot between two people holding QAnon signs, one reading “If pedophilia is just sexuality then burying them all is just gardening!!!!” and the other reading, “Media Silence is DEAFENING.”

READ MORE: Minnesota sheriff censured for racism and drunk driving reinstated as cop — with a pay raise

DiLisio posted this picture to his Instagram account in 2020, with a message appearing to endorse the demonstrators: "Glad to see people taking action to end the child sex slave trade. It's scary how widespread this is. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the activists out at Capron Park today. This is a real danger to our children."

A number of politicians around the country have come under scrutiny for QAnon ties, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and failed Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.