A video showing a man crawling through a narrow, rocky tunnel or cave with a tense or distressed expression, while holding an object resembling a strange creature, is being shared with claims that he is a prisoner in Syria released after the fall of al-Assad. However, these claims are entirely false. The video is not real but an AI-generated creation. It has no connection to any real-life events or individuals.
Sharing the video on X (Formerly Twitter) @6qevj9Zina wrote, “Bashar_al-Assad_killed Sednaya_Prison. May God curse the pig Bashar al-Assad, and God is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs. May God take revenge on him soon. O God, destroy the tyrant Bashar the pig.” (Translated from Arabic).
#مقتل_بشار_الاسد#سجن_صيدنايا
— 𝐙𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐀🇸🇦 (@6qevj9Zina) December 9, 2024
الله يلعن الخنزير بشار الاسد وحسبي الله ونعم الوكيل فيه الله ينتقم منه في العاجل القريب اللهم اهلك الطاغية بشار الخنزير pic.twitter.com/ZVegLHi7KM
Propagandist account @ShirinKhan0 also shared a postcard that reads, “The Syrian prisoner saw sunlight for the 1st time in 13 years.”. She said Those Who are not happy for them being free deserve the same prison.
Those Who are not happy for them being free deserve the same prison. pic.twitter.com/CGHX1vzNvl
— Shirin Khan (@ShirinKhan0) December 9, 2024
Several other users and Influencers have also shared the visuals and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @atisteknikleri, @jhr_rn, @Xshooterrr, @Abdquil
The truth about the viral video shared as prisoner in Syria, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that it was not a real-life situation but an AI-generated creation.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video using Google Lens. This led us to a TikTok post containing the same video. The original source of the video is the TikTok account where the creator clearly stated that the content was produced using artificial intelligence.
@sanzaruu No sir, I don’t like it #fyp #creepytok #crawlspace #ai
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the viral video was not a real-life situation but an AI-generated creation.
2719
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) December 10, 2024
ANALYSIS: Fake
FACT: A video showing a man crawling through a narrow, rocky tunnel or cave with a tense or distressed expression while holding an object resembling a strange creature is being shared with false claims that he is a Syrian prisoner released (1/3) pic.twitter.com/YC7J6PTIqv
Intent
Users, influencers and propagandists are circulating AI-generated videos with false claims to set their narrative over the situation in Syria.
Conclusion
Claim– The video depicts a Syrian prisoner coming out from a jail after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Fact– The video is not a real-life situation but an AI-generated creation.
Related Article: Fact check: Old photo of child’s foot protruding from rubble in Syria falsely linked to Israel-Palestine conflict – D-Intent Data
