Fact check: Viral videos falsely linked to Riyadh airport attack
Many 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.
Recent attacks on Yemen's King Khalid International Airport have been claimed by the Houthis, resulting in at least 16 deaths. Social media has been flooded with videos purportedly showing the strikes, but DW Fact Check discovered that several of these videos are AI-generated and not genuine. One video, circulating with 1.7 million views on X, shows people running towards an exit during an explosion.
However, the video is inconsistent with reality, such as people without hands appearing suddenly. Meta's AI detection tool confirmed the video was generated using generative AI. Another video, shared by a user with over 2.9 million views on X, features AI-generated content with visual inconsistencies. For instance, a light pole lacks lamps, and a missile's explosion does not produce corresponding shadows.
Additionally, an X post with 301,000 views claimed the footage was recorded at Riyadh Airport just minutes ago, despite the video being circulating since March. The video exhibits visual anomalies like blurriness and merging individuals, and people are seen passing through security barriers without issue. A TikTok post garnering 500,000 views claimed to show attacks on King Khalid International Airport and Abha, but analysis using Google Gemini revealed it was at least partially AI-generated.
The video contains a SynthID watermark, and it has been circulated in multiple languages with an account dedicated to sharing AI-generated content. All four videos are brief, making them easier to create using AI and hinder authenticity verification.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
