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Woman opened fire on YouTube HQ after video demonetisation angered her

Police were rushed to YouTube’s Californian headquarters on Tuesday, after a woman launched an assault against company employees. Three were injured by gunshot wounds before the assailant fatally turned the gun on herself.

San Francisco General Hospital has clarified that of the three victims, a 36-year-old man was in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman was in serious condition and a 27-year-old woman was in fair condition. A fourth victim has suffered ankle injuries attained through the chaotic escape. No updates have been given since hospital admission.

The attacker has since been named by local law enforcement as 39-year-old San Diego resident and YouTube blogger Nasim Najafi Aghdam. Aghdam was known for her animal rights activism, with her father Ismail Aghdam claiming to the Bay Area News Group that his daughter was angry at YouTube for demonitising her videos.

Ismail Aghdam reported Nasim missing on Monday after an unusual two days of no contact. Nasim was reportedly found by Mountain View police sleeping in a car. Her father claims that he warned the police department that she might be headed towards YouTube’s HQ because she “hated” the company with a passion. Mountain View police representative Katie Nelson has confirmed that a woman by the same name was found in the early hours of Tuesday morning, but would not clarify if the police were warned.

Despite claiming that “animal rights equal human rights” to her, Aghdam used her own website to make claims that “Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics!” This was followed by adapted quotes from Adolf Hitler to focus the aggression directly towards YouTube as a company. “There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!”

Victims described the attacker as a woman wearing glasses and a scarf, who tore up the publicly-accessible courtyard with a large pistol. Senior software engineer Zach Vorhies explained that the attacker was antagonising those around her, yelling for people to “come and get me.” This is where Vorhies claims to have seen the injured man, who appeared to have been shot in the stomach and was lying unconscious.

The San Jose Mercury News quotes Carl's Jr supervisor Michael Finney, who came across another victim bleeding from her leg. While others tried to quell the bleeding with a makeshift tourniquet, it supposedly did nothing to stem the flow.

“Today it feels like the entire community of YouTube, all of the employees, were victims of this crime,” said YouTube spokesperson Chris Dale. “Our hearts go out to all those who suffered.” Google’s platform also goes on to praise the response of the emergency services, who ensured the safety of its employees in a swift and precise manner.

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KitGuru Says: No matter who the victim is or the motivation of the attack, our hearts go out to all those affected by violence. Here’s hoping to a swift recovery for all harmed by the assailant, but it physically or psychologically, and a quick return to normal over at YouTube HQ.

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