Fake videos of Riyadh airport attacks spread on social media

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 12 Oct, 22:43 · Archive

AI-generated videos falsely depicting attacks on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport have gone viral after Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for strikes that killed at least 16 people.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport. At least 16 people have been killed since last Thursday, according to Saudi authorities. As news of the attacks spread, social media users shared videos claiming to show the strikes, but many proved false.

DW Fact Check analysed viral footage and found several videos to be AI-generated rather than authentic. One widely-shared video with 1.7 million views on X contained implausible details: people in the footage ran towards an exit as an explosion occurred outside, moving towards the blast through a glass door despite apparent danger. Frame-by-frame analysis revealed inconsistencies, including a hand appearing on a man's head and another man's hand vanishing and then reappearing. Meta's AI identification tool detected AI signatures in the video and concluded it was created using generative AI.

The Times of Israel shared the video, which received over 256,000 views. The false footage spread across multiple languages including Arabic, English, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Nepali, appearing on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and other platforms. Whilst some authentic footage of the attacks and their aftermath circulated online, DW Fact Check confirmed that several viral videos did not show genuine strikes.

Fake videos of Riyadh airport attacks spread on social media — Image: France 24

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How it is being reported

No, these pictures do not show the Houthi attacks on Riyadh King Khalid AirportAs Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport has suffered a string of deadly attacks, claimed by the Houthis, a slew of AI-generated or decontextualised videos and photos have been circulating on social media, purporting to show the strikes of the last few days.France 24 · 12 Oct, 21:59
Fact check: Viral videos falsely linked to Riyadh airport attacksMany videos claiming to show an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport have gone viral online. DW Fact check analyzes some of the most-shared footage and finds evidence it was created using AI.DW News · 12 Oct, 18:19
Fact check: Viral videos falsely linked to Riyadh airport attackMany videos claiming to show an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport have gone viral online. DW Fact check analyzes some of the most-shared footage and finds evidence it was created using AI.DW News · 12 Oct, 18:19

In this story: Houthi rebels · Saudi Arabia · King Khalid International Airport · Yemen · DW Fact Check · Times of Israel

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