Fake Video Alert: Blast In Iraq Is Being Wrongly Shared As Terrorist Attack In Pulwama

In the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 in which 44 CRPF jawans lost their lives, fake news, messages and videos have flooded social media platforms.

One such video is a CCTV footage showing a massive blast and claiming to the incident that took place in Pulwama.

However, soon after it went viral, a fact-checking website call Boom Live clarified that it was doctored and the video was originally taken from a blast that took place in Iraq.

This first went viral on Twitter.

#PulwamaTerrorAttack ..
This is disturbing..
This is unacceptable..
This wont b forgiven.. pic.twitter.com/lY0HdShLXQ

¡ª yashraj srivastava (@yashraj_sri26) February 16, 2019

After Boom Live did a reverse image search of the video, they found that it was posted by multiple users on Youtube, as early as 2007. It was an IED blast that occurred in Iraq in 2007.

Jency Jacob, Managing Editor of Boom Live told Indian Express, that they were first alerted through their WhatsApp helpline after the video started circulating.

Jacob was quoted by the daily as saying, "We immediately flagged it to Facebook who takes the call if it needs to be pulled off the platform."

ALSO READ: CRPF Keeps Duty First, Offers Help To Kashmiris Facing Threats After Pulwama Terror Attack

This isn't the only video that's doing the rounds on socials media. This footage shows a bomb blast near a check-post, has been shared multiple times on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook

Boom Live again cracked down on the video and clarified that it was bomb explosion at a checkpoint near the Turkish-Syrian border, not the Pulwama attack.

Since the attack, the number of fake reports on martyred CRPF jawans and that of the explosion have been circulating. It's important to check sources before sharing anything on social media.

ALSO READ: Sand Artists In Andhra Pradesh Pay Tribute To CRPF Soldiers Killed In Pulwama Attack