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A Minnesota protestor made the following claim:

"Media, you need to cover the undercover cops who have been breaking these windows and breaking into businesses. We have evidence of buildings that have been burnt on fire by specific triangles cut out. These kids are not equipped to do those types of things."

Assuming that what she said was true, it seems more likely that these were state actors (either U.S. or foreign), and not "undercover cops".

Is there any evidence to back this up?

Lord Elrond
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    The so-called "[Umbrella Man](https://www.insider.com/minneapolis-protesters-social-media-users-suspicious-of-umbrella-man-2020-5)" is one of the main subjects of speculation, but no, there is no specific evidence at this time. – Brian Z May 29 '20 at 20:12
  • Whether these were state actors as opposed to undercover cops appears to be your own speculation. Questions need to match the claims being questioned; if the claim is about undercover cops, your question needs to be about undercover cops. – jwodder May 29 '20 at 22:57
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    Is this claim falsifiable? What would serve as evidence that the perpetrators are *not* undercover police? A proponent of the claim can always argue that they are so deep undercover that all proofs of their involvement with the police have been suppressed. – Nate Eldredge May 29 '20 at 23:11
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    [Snopes](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/officer-jacob-pederson-protests/) is on the case, current status "unproven". – Brian Z May 29 '20 at 23:34
  • @jwodder the claim is incoherent on its own which leaves it open to speculation on our part. That being said, "state actor" and "undercover cop" are synonyms... – Lord Elrond May 30 '20 at 00:53
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    @ReinstateMonica I'm gonna be extra pedantic here and point out that not all state actors are necessarily undercover cops, although all undercover cops are state actors. Thus, the two terms aren't technically synonymous. – Gryphon May 30 '20 at 01:13
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    Why off-topic? The claim isn't technically falsifiable, by @NateEldredge, but it is verifiable, and really, it's falsifiable to the degree of pretty much anything else on the site. It's notable and many people think it's true(I'll exclude myself quickly). So why close it? - I'm asking specifically because I hope to edit and re-open, because I would genuinely appreciate researched responses to this. – TCooper Jun 01 '20 at 22:46
  • @TCooper It's a current event... – Lord Elrond Jun 01 '20 at 23:44
  • [Video](https://twitter.com/i/status/1267131271953747969) of protestors pushing others into police line to incite violence – Lord Elrond Jun 02 '20 at 02:19
  • It's related to current events, but it's a single, specific event that took place in the past. The answer is directly tied to the identity of the vandal. It can't be more cut and dry. I just have no idea how someone could find concrete evidence of who it was... – TCooper Jun 02 '20 at 16:31

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