Photo by Julie Strupp.

Edgar Maddison Welch, the man who allegedly walked into Comet Ping Pong with a rifle and a handgun on December 4, will face federal charges, and today his gun-related charges in D.C. Superior Court were dismissed, report The Washington Post and Buzzfeed.

According to police, Welch told them he “read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there … [He] stated he was armed to help rescue them.”

A new federal complaint outlines more evidence against Welch, including a text to a friend where he said he planned on “Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacraficing [sic] the lives of a few for the lives of many.”

The Chevy Chase pizzeria has been the target of online slander since before the election. In a disproven theory known as Pizzagate, so-called investigators on social media sites like 4chan have decided that the restaurant’s basement serves as a site for a Satanic child trafficking ring run by Hillary Clinton and other Democratic elites. MPD called it a “fictitious online conspiracy theory.”

Among other facts that draw the Pizzagate claims into question is Comet’s lack of basement, which Welch learned for himself before surrendering to police. Before that, Welch fired three shots in the restaurant, though no one was injured.

In a New York Times interview, Welch said that he “wanted to do some good and went about it the wrong way.” He has been held in custody since his arrest.

However, the theory has led to harassment and threats for Comet’s employees, neighbors, and at least one pizzeria in New York City.

Beginning Friday, Washingtonians packed Comet Ping Pong for a weekend-long event to “Stand With Comet.” A GoFundMe page for the business has already raised more than $20,000 for increased security costs and lost wages.

“Washingtonians are resilient. We won’t be threatened or deterred by attacks by the misled,” event organizer Erick Sanchez said.

Sanchez has been calling for Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is currently renting a house in Chevy Chase, to dine at Comet. “I think if his administration wants to get serious about standing up to fake news I would hope that he would come down here … to denounce those remarks and support small business,” he said. He told reporters he spoke on the phone with a member of Pence’s transition team, who is aware of the invite.

A group called Neighbors Organizing for Power & Equality posted an open letter to Pence with the same request.

“Governor Pence, we ask that you help bring an end to this madness through the simple act of breaking bread with your neighbors at Comet Ping Pong. By doing so, you will send a powerful message to the perpetrators of these hateful attacks that this baseless and dangerous campaign of hate must stop. Last Sunday’s assault on Comet ended peacefully. The next attack may not.”