ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Fact Check: Old Video From Istanbul Shared as Recent Blast on Taksim Square

The suicide bombing was the fourth such attack in 2016, which claimed five lives and left 36 people injured.

Published
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large

An old CCTV footage of an explosion on a street is going viral on the internet with a claim that it is recent and shows the bombing in Taksim SquareIstanbul, that took place on Sunday, 13 November.

What is the video about? : The 27-second clip shows a suicide bomber detonating an explosive in the middle of the streets.

What does the claim say? : Social media users have shared this video claiming that the footage is from the recent explosion that took place in Istanbul.

(Note: The video contains some distressing visuals. Viewers' discretion is advised.)

Archives of similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

What is the truth? : The video is six years old and shows CCTV footage of a suicide bombing at Istiklal Street in Istanbul from 19 March 2016.

How did we find the truth? : At first, we noticed the date stamp written on top of the frame towards the end of the video.

Using a Google Chrome extension, InVID, we extracted the keyframes of the video and performed a reverse image search on them.

  • On Tineye, we found an article published on the website of the Daily Express, a British daily.

  • It was published on 19 March 2016 with the headline, "WATCH: Woman waves goodbye to friends moments before Istanbul suicide bomber blows up".

  • It also carried a picture which was similar to one of the frames of the viral video.

What happened in Istanbul recently? : On Sunday, 13 November, one of the busiest shopping streets in Istanbul witnessed a bombing in which six people were killed. The police arrested a woman in her alleged connection with the attacks in an overnight raid.

Conclusion: Evidently, a video from 2016 showing a suicide bombing in Istanbul is being shared as recent.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
×
×