Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist arrested over illegal ID possession

Wolfgang Halbig has been peddling false theories about the Sandy Hook school shooting for years

A conspiracy theorist known for harassing families of the victims in the 2012 Sandy Hook primary school shooting has been arrested in Florida.

Wolfgang Halbig, 73, was charged with unlawful possession of the personal identification of Leonard Pozner, whose son was killed in the shooting.

Mr Halbig has continued to torment the victims' families through emails and phone calls, according to an affidavit.

He was released on $5,000 (£3,800) bond and will appear in court next month.

Mr Halbig is accused of releasing Mr Pozner's personal information, including his social security number, "to hundreds of people via email", including to numerous law enforcement and news agencies.

In October, Mr Pozner told authorities in Lake County, Florida, that Mr Halbig was continuing to "harass him over the internet", according to the affidavit.

"Defendant Halbig has contacted the victim's family members and has continued to harass them, asking questions and alleging the children involved are crisis actors," the affidavit states.

Mr Pozner told the New York Times: "For five years, he has used my most personal and private details to incentivise and enable other hoaxers and conspiracy theorists to hunt, abuse and terrorize myself and my family."

"We have a long way to go, but this is a positive step in the right direction," he said of Mr Halbig's arrest.

Mr Halbig was released on Monday. His arraignment has been scheduled for 24 February.

Mr Halbig could face up to a year in prison.

Twenty children, all under the age of 10, and six adults were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in December 2012.

In the years after the school shooting, Mr Halbig, a retired public school official, worked with prominent conspiracy theorist and US radio host Alex Jones to harass victims' families and promote a false claim that the shooting was a government hoax designed to take away Americans' right to own firearms.

• Sandy Hook to Trump: 'Help us stop conspiracy theorists'

• Infowars v Sandy Hook case explained

• Alex Jones must pay $100,000 in Sandy Hook case

Mr Halbig has been named along with Mr Jones in several defamation lawsuits brought by the families, and has previously denied the allegations.