The gunman who stormed a DC pizzeria on Sunday to investigate a fictitious pedophile ring run by Hillary Clinton was armed because he wanted to 'rescue the child sex slaves' - but surrendered peacefully when he realized they didn't exist.

Edgar Maddison Welch from Salisbury, North Carolina, made his first appearance in court on Monday, after he walked into the Comet Ping Pong - armed with an AR-15 and a handgun - and opened fire at the floor and walls.

Police later said the 28-year-old told them he wanted to 'self-investigate' fake news articles that suggested the Democratic presidential candidate was abusing children in the basement.

A judge held Welch without bail on assault and numerous weapons charges after prosecutors said he went into the eatery, looked around, and then laid the assault rifle on kegs after realizing there was no evidence supporting what he had read online.

Welch, described in court documents as S-1, said he had read online that Comet was 'harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there', according to prosecutors.

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Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, (pictured) from Salisbury, North Carolina, stormed a DC pizzeria on to investigate a fictitious pedophile ring run by Hillary Clinton was armed because he wanted to 'rescue the child sex slaves' - but surrendered peacefully when he realized they didn't exist

Welch, 28, (pictured) was arrested on the street after he stormed into Comet Ping Pong in Washington D.C. on Sunday at about 3pm armed with the rifle. Court documents said he surrendered peacefully after he found no evidence to back the fake news stories

Police said Welch (pictured surrendering) told them he was investigating 'pizza-gate' - a story widely circulated on fake news sites and forums prior to the election that claimed Clinton was abusing children in secret tunnels under the restaurant

Cops at the scene say he then stated that Welch was armed 'to help rescue them', but followed officers' orders to get on the ground when he realized they weren't there.

Welch was pictured walking backwards on the street with his hands on his head as police surrounded him with guns drawn. He also had a shotgun and a knife in his car.

According to eyewitnesses, Welch spent 45 minutes inside the pizzeria where he was said to be looking for the secret tunnels identified in the false news stories, which has caused the restaurant to be a target of numerous threats.

Sharif Silmi, an attorney who was at the restaurant and witnessed the incident, told DailyMail.com people are now claiming he was a crisis actor who was stationed inside the venue by the government. Conspiracy theorists attacked him on Twitter when he was interviewed by a local TV station.

On Sunday night, after the gun was fired, Michael Flynn Jr. — the son of incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — posted messages supporting the conspiracy theory.

Welch left customers and staff terrified when he walked through the front door and through to the back of the restaurant. Police say he may have been looking through the

'Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it,' the younger Flynn tweeted.

He stood by his tweet as the night continued, retweeting people who were accusing the mainstream media of being part of the conspiracy to cover up the sex ring.

The incident raised questions about Gen. Flynn himself. He had not commented publicly on Comet, but in early November he tied Clinton to pedophile rings in a tweet of his own.

'U decide - NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ!,' he wrote ahead of the November 8 election.

On Welch's Facebook page, he mixed 'like' endorsements for a number of conservative Christian groups with similar 'likes' for Infowars and its founder Alex Jones.

When Welch first entered the store, he left customers and staff terrified when he walked through the front door and through to the back of the restaurant.

Police said he pointed a gun at an employee and threatened them before they were able to escape and notify police. Several customers and employees took shelter in nearby businesses.

They added that the lone gunman then fired one or more shots into the floor, but no one was injured.

Authorities found two firearms inside the restaurant.

There was also a shotgun and a folding knife in his car parked outside. They said the incident was not terrorism related.

Welch was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and destruction of property.

On Sunday night, after the gun was fired, Michael Flynn Jr. — the son of incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — posted messages supporting the conspiracy theory

His family in North Carolina appear to have a history in the broadcasting and movie industry.

An IMDB account under the name Edgar Maddison Welch shows he had a small part in the 2009 film, The Bleeding, and was part of the crew in four other projects.

According to reports, his father Harry owns a film production company.

WBTV in North Carolina also reported that a man with the same name ran over a black 13-year-old boy while behind the wheel of his car on October 24.

The teenager survived and Welch was not arrested as a result.

He is a Republican supporter, according to voter records.

Owner of Comet Ping Pong James Alefantis said: 'What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences.

'I hope that those involved in fanning these flames will take a moment to contemplate what happened here today, and stop promoting these falsehoods right away.'

The 28-year-old was was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after the ordeal at the popular pizzeria Comet Ping Pong

Police closed off Connecticut Avenue as they responded to reports of a gunman inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant on Sunday at 3pm

Detectives examined a car outside the pizzeria believed to belong to the alleged gunman. Police say two guns were found inside the shop and another in his car

Police initially said Welch's motive was unclear but many quickly speculated it was related to the pizza-gate election conspiracy.

Following Welch's arrest, police described pizza-gate as a 'fictitious online conspiracy theory'.

The shooting comes just weeks after the pizzeria was swept up in controversy during the presidential election campaign when it became the victim of the fake news story being shared on social media.

Staff at the restaurant received a number of death threats on social media following claims it was the center of a child sex abuse ring run by then Democratic presidential candidate and her campaign chief John Podesta.

Some of the rumors even claimed that kidnapped and trafficked children were being kept in the venue's back rooms and secret basement tunnels where they were being molested.

Police said the gunman told them he went to the pizzeria to investigate 'pizza-gate' - a story prior to the election that claimed Clinton had run a child sex abuse ring there

The man, from Salisbury, North Carolina, was taken into police custody and the streets remained closed on Sunday afternoon

There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims who have come forward. The restaurant also says it does not have a basement or any hidden rooms.

But thousands of alt-right Trump supporters and anti-Hillary Clinton followers believe the claims.

Alefantis was forced to contact the FBI after the abuse became too much and he caught one supporter of the rumor trying to shoot a live video from within the pizzeria.

Just last week the pizzeria, which also hosts music shows, revealed it was adding more security to is shows following the online harassment.

'There have been no hostile situations at the venue, and we do not anticipate any altercations as much of the harassment has occurred online, but as a precaution we now have security and police present at every show,' the venue wrote on Facebook.

The owner of the restaurant James Alefantis (pictured) was forced to contact the FBI after the children of some staff were targeted

Staff at the popular restaurant had received a number of death threats on social media following fake claims that it was the center of a child sex abuse ring run by Hillary Clinton

Just last week the pizzeria, which also hosts music shows, revealed it was adding more security to is shows following the online harassment

The conspiracy theory took hold when the emails belonging to Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, were released by WikiLeaks.

Users on the online message board 4Chan found a reference of Alefantis in one of Podesta's emails just days before the election. Alefantis had been discussing a Democrat fundraiser.

Alefantis was once in a relationship with outspoken Clinton supporter David Brock.

The 4Chan users speculated that Alefantis' Comet Ping Pong was part of a Democratic child trafficking ring.

The conspiracy theory then took hold on social media, including Twitter and Reddit.

Reddit eventually took the step of banning the pizzagate topic from its message boards, citing its policy against posting the personal information of others.

'From this insane, fabricated conspiracy theory, we've come under constant assault,' the business owner told the New York Times at the time.

'I've done nothing for days but try to clean this up and protect my staff and friends from being terrorized.'