Satirical news publication The Onion has purchased Infowars, the media organisation headed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, which spread false rumours about the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The sale price was not immediately disclosed.

Infowars and its assets were auctioned off to pay Jones’s debts. He declared bankruptcy after the Sandy Hook families won $1.5b (£1.18b) in defamation damages against him.

Jones founded Infowars in 1999. He has vowed to continue broadcasting using a different platform.