‘FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States’ is Satire

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, an FBI evidence response team vehicle is parked outside Building 197 at the Navy Yard in Washington as evidence is collected Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013. A gunman killed 12 people at the base on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Pedro A. Rodriguez)

An article saying the FBI “uncovered” a plot by al-Qaeda “to just sit back and enjoy the collapse of” the United States is satire, but some believed it.

The Onion, the premiere satire news website, published the satire on Sunday, generating thousands of shares. 

“Putting the nation on alert against what it has described as a ‘highly credible terrorist threat,’ the FBI announced today that it has uncovered a plot by members of al-Qaeda to sit back and enjoy themselves while the United States collapses of its own accord,” the article reads.

A number of people apparently believed the article’s premise.

However, The Onion has a disclaimer saying it publishes satire--and only satire.

“The Onion is a satirical weekly publication published 52 times a year on Thursdays. The Onion is published by Onion, Inc. The contents of this material are © Copyright 2010 by Onion, Inc. and may not be reprinted or re-transmitted in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The Onion is not intended for readers under 18 years of age,” it reads.

It adds: “The Onion uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.”