A dramatic video that appears to show an aeroplane exploding on the tarmac after being struck by a missile has been shared online with claims it shows a recent attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
But this video isn’t real and was made with AI.
The video has been shared on X and Facebook with the caption: “New video footage of the moment King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh was targeted.”
There have been several attacks on that airport recently. On 8 October three Saudi nationals were killed and an aircraft was damaged. On 10 and 11 October [WARNING: distressing content] two consecutive attacks on the same airport killed at least 14 people and injured hundreds more. The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, have claimed responsibility for the attacks.
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Although plenty of [WARNING: distressing content] real footage exists of the attacks, this clip of a plane being hit is not real.
There are a number of visual errors, including a white vehicle behind the plane’s wing that appears to unnaturally shrink and fold flat to become a piece of debris. The video also contains AI signatures according to Meta’s AI detection tool.
We fact checked another fake video being shared as the Riyadh attacks earlier this week.
It can be difficult to tell what is real in the immediate aftermath of breaking news incidents like this. Our toolkit can help you check if a clip is authentic before sharing.
