Six more families suing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over claims Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax

Six more families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims are suing right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after he claimed the shooting was a hoax.

A gunman killed 20 first-graders and six teachers at the Newtown, Connecticut, school in December 2012.

Mr Jones has used his site, Infowars, to claim the shooting was staged by US officials as a means of shoring up support for gun control reforms.

The families of two other victims filed similar defamation lawsuits against Jones last month in Travis County, Texas, where Jones is based.

Josh Koskoff, a lawyer for the families, said: "He knew his claims were false but he made them anyway to further a simple but pathetic goal: to make money by tearing away at the families' pain.

"This lawsuit seeks to hold Alex Jones and his financial network accountable for those disgraceful actions."

After the first two lawsuits were filed last month, Jones responded in a YouTube video, saying that the families are being used by the Democrats and the news media and that he believes Sandy Hook "really happened."

He also invited parents who lost their children to his show to have a "real discussion" about guns, and said believes the lawsuits will be thrown out.

The plaintiffs include the parents of four children killed at the school - Daniel Barden, Dylan Hockley, Ben Wheeler and Avielle Richman.

Also suing are relatives of two murdered teachers - school Principal Dawn Hochsprung and first-grade teacher Victoria Soto. FBI agent William Aldenberg, one of the first responders to the scene, is also suing Jones.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage faced criticism in April after appearing being interviewed by Alex Jones via videolink from his LBC studio.

Additional reporting by the Press Association