Riyadh Airport Attack Is Real, But Viral Video Is AI-Generated

Join our WhatsApp channel here for daily facts.

Sri Lankans follow news from the Middle East closely, because so many of their relatives live and work in Saudi Arabia. When reports of attacks on Riyadh’s main airport emerged, a short, dramatic video began to spread online. It claimed to show the moment a missile hit the airport and a passenger plane burst into flames. Here is the post that carried it.

Social Media Posts:

A post claimed that an attack targeting the main international airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, killed 12 people and injured 309 others. It said an attack on the kingdom’s main airport raised serious questions about air travel, passenger safety, and the security of key national infrastructure, and could further affect the Middle East security situation. The post shared the video below as footage of the attack.

In the video, an aircraft was seen catching fire and being destroyed in an attack on the airport.

Facebook

We checked whether the video was genuine.

Fact-Check:

Foreign media reported attacks on Riyadh airport

Over the past few days, foreign media reported several attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Attacks on October 8 damaged airport facilities, and a Saudia aircraft parked at the airport was also damaged.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority later announced that an attack on October 10 killed 12 people and injured 309. It was also reported that a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said Houthi rebels carried out that attack. You can read more here and here. Another attack hit Terminal 4 on October 11 and a fire started, according to reports. You can read that report here.

The details in the social media post were therefore accurate. However, no foreign media outlet or Saudi authority confirmed that the video showed the attack.

Vehicles in the video fold like paper

A close look at the video showed that vehicles parked near the aircraft were thrown into the air when it exploded. Examining the frames further, we saw the vehicles fly off unnaturally and fold like paper, as the images below show.

The first scene matches a 2016 photo of the airport

We ran several frames of the video through a reverse image search. A photograph of Riyadh airport matching the video’s first scene had been published on Shutterstock in 2016.

When we compared the video’s first scene with the Shutterstock photograph, several features matched, including the way the vehicles were parked and the three open doors on the aircraft.

An AI-detection tool found signs of AI use

We also checked the video’s frames with a tool used to detect AI-generated visuals. It showed signs that artificial intelligence (AI) had been used to create the video.

Join us to learn more about our fact-check investigations.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok | YouTube

Conclusion:

Our fact check found that the video, which was shared as footage of an attack on a Saudia aircraft at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, is not genuine. It was edited with AI from a real photograph taken in 2016.

The attack described in the post was real. Reuters, Saudi Gazette and Gulf News reported on the airport attacks, and Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed the casualty figures. None of them confirmed that this video showed the attack.