AFP explains the origins and beliefs of what was once a fringe Internet phenomenon: In 2016, a false theory spread on the Internet, which eventually became known as “Pizzagate,” alleging that top Democrats ran a child sex-trafficking ring from a pizzeria in Washington DC. It appeared to have been sparked by innocuous messages published by WikiLeaks recounting a Hillary Clinton fundraiser, and culminated in a man firing a gun in the restaurant in December 2016. QAnon began in late 2017 with posts on the anonymous messaging board 4chan and a similar site, 8kun, by a user named “Q Clearance Patriot,” who claimed to be an American intelligence official with access to classified information.