Deafening noise, confusion and a frantic escape:
This clip is being shared by social media users along with claims that the man is Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister – who is being evacuated after firecrackers are detonated while visiting the Chinese embassy in Riyadh.
The allegedly current video is shared and commented on by thousands of users.
But what does it mean? Is the video really real?
The video is not current and does not show an incident with the Saudi Arabian foreign minister at the Chinese embassy in Riyadh.
The clip was created in 2019 as part of the fifth “Gulf Defense Aviation” exhibition and conference in Kuwait – and shows a mock military exercise.
Uploads of the video and other recordings of the action from that time make it clear that these are not current images.
Reuters fact checkers managed to determine the exact location of the video. The clip is made at a roundabout in front of the Kuwait International Fairground.
The case shows how easily a video can be taken out of context by adding misleading captions.
A sham military exercise in Kuwait from 2019 is said to have turned into a current incident with firecrackers in Saudi Arabia.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double-check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.