The day before an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Austin Private Wealth LLC placed an unusually large bet against Trump Media’s stock ($DJT), raising questions and sparking a flurry of conspiracy theories.

The firm, majority-owned by investment giants Vanguard and BlackRock, bought put options on 12 million shares of $DJT on July 12.

This came just one day before the July 13 attack that saw Trump narrowly escape harm.

The stock surged 70% in pre-market trading the following Monday, stabilizing at $36.44, up from $31.25 the previous Friday.

Adding fuel to the fire, BlackRock had featured the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in a 2022 promotional video.

This connection, coupled with Alex Soros sharing a cryptic image on social media that some interpreted as a death threat against Trump, has led many to speculate about a coordinated effort to benefit financially from Trump’s demise.

Austin Private Wealth has deep ties to prominent political figures. The late President George H.W. Bush was a client, and his son, President George W. Bush, attended company events and engaged in its charitable initiatives.

James A. Baker III, a close associate of the Bush family and former Secretary of State, has served as the firm’s Senior Policy Director since its inception in 2006. This raises questions about Baker’s potential involvement in the suspicious trade.

“This was the largest bet the firm has ever taken,” said Jason Goodman, founder of Crowdsource The Truth, who attempted to get more details from AJ Wagner, a partner at the firm. Wagner dismissed the transaction as a filing error, a claim met with skepticism.

“The timing and scale of this purchase are highly suspicious,” said one speculator on social media platform X, pointing out that the firm amended its filing on July 16, removing the put option on Trump Media Group.

The convergence of these events has led to rampant speculation, echoing past U.S. conspiracies like the 9/11 attacks and the assassination of JFK.

The suspicious stock market activity and high-profile political connections have only fueled these theories, particularly in the context of recent Supreme Court decisions and inflammatory statements from political leaders.

President Biden’s remark suggesting Trump be “placed in a bull’s eye,” along with other politicians’ suspiciously-timed stock trades, have further fanned the flames.

The U.S. has a history of government-organized political violence, such as the FBI’s assassination of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, lending credibility to these theories.