The daily check-in

Trending, checked.

Twice a day we pull the posts going viral on TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook and run them through the record. Each entry is a published verdict — what we found, why, and the sources behind it.

241 checks

Did Yemeni forces target Dammam in Saudi Arabia?

X · Identical caption posted by 5+ accounts between 3 Oct 21:35Z and 4 Oct 05:04Z, including map/news account NofouzMap

False

The video is authentic footage of a large industrial fire but has been republished with a false caption claiming it shows a new Yemeni attack on Dammam. Fact-checking links the clip to an earlier Dammam factory fire (March 2023); there is no credible evidence this video shows a recent Houthi strike on Dammam.

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Is Riyadh Airport Out of Service After Houthi Attacks?

X · Same claim posted by at least 3 X accounts plus YouTube copies during the Houthi-Saudi escalation; Saudi-led coalition publicly denied Houthi claims of hitting Riyadh

True But

Video shows a fire at night near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sept 19, 2026; news agencies and flight-tracking data confirm a Houthi-claimed strike that produced a fuel-depot blaze and temporary disruptions. The post’s wording that the airport is 'out of service' overstates the reporting, which documents significant but not permanent closure.

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Did Anak Krakatau Volcano Erupt in September 2026?

Facebook · Spread by Indian social media accounts with AI-generated images claiming to show SSG insignia; disputed by Pakistan military (DG ISPR)

True But

The underlying event is real — Anak Krakatau did erupt in early September 2026 with ash reported up to about 50,000 ft — but the viral visual attached to this post is not authentic: independent fact-checkers have analysed the clip posted by Jagoron and concluded it was AI-generated and does not show genuine footage of that eruption.

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Did a hooded person in Marseille use a flamethrower during protests?

X · Real incident misframed as migrant targeting 'whites'; spread via far-right amplification on X; fact-checked by The Week; partially false

True But

The attached post contains no caption and the image is a generic X promotional graphic; it does not show the incident. Independent reporting from multiple reputable French and international outlets confirms that on or around 2 Oct 2026 a person in Marseille used an improvised spray-can 'flamethrower' that burned a woman during student protests and that a minor was arrested — the core claim is confirmed though the device is described as improvised.

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Are there mass protests in Kenya calling for Nigerians to leave?

Facebook · 75,000+ views, 4,900+ likes, 2,000+ comments across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X. Fact-checked by Dubawa, Africa Check, PesaCheck. · resurfaced

Can't Verify

The video pairs a commentator with an inset clip of a large protest, and the post implies Kenya is experiencing mass anti-Nigerian protests. Reputable reporting shows Kenya took steps in early September 2026 to regularize foreign businesses and that immigrant communities were alarmed, but I found no credible coverage confirming mass street demonstrations specifically calling for Nigerians to leave. The claim as presented is unsupported.

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Did John Cleese post a video of Muslims chanting in Dublin?

X · Posted by actor John Cleese (@JohnCleese) with significant engagement. Fact-checked by Lead Stories and Yahoo News.

False

The video John Cleese shared is authentic footage but misattributed: it dates to October 11, 2025 and shows FC Schalke 04 supporters marching in Dublin, not Muslims chanting in late September 2026. The post’s implication is therefore false and misleading.

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Was the Flydubai hijacking video staged?

Instagram · Posted by @daily_rumble account on Instagram. Lead Stories fact-checked conspiracy claim.

False

The Flydubai on-board attack of September 30, 2026 is a confirmed event reported by major outlets. The Instagram video from Daily Rumble mixes that reporting with older, unrelated cabin footage (traced to August 2025) and edited clips to claim the incident was staged; that use of misattributed footage is misleading.

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Did an Indian national named Raghav Menon attempt to hijack Flydubai flight FZ1073?

X · 300,000+ views on X post @ThokaReturns. Fact-checked by FullFact, BOOM, France24, Newschecker, NewsGuard.

False

The flight-deck incident aboard Flydubai FZ1073 on 30 Sept 2026 is real and confirmed by Flydubai and major news outlets. The 15‑second BBC-style clip and the post's caption that name 'Raghav Menon' as a hijacker and allege an Indian–Mossad conspiracy are fabricated: the clip is a deepfake (doctored BBC footage with AI audio/captions) and those specific allegations are false.

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Are thousands of Iranians on the streets taking back their country?

X · Posted by @realJohnJohnJr; later re-shared by President Trump on October 1. Lead Stories, Snopes, NBC News fact-checked. · resurfaced

False

The video appears to be authentic protest footage but is not new: fact-checking and archived uploads show it first appeared around December 31, 2025. The post's caption frames the clip as a current, unreported mass uprising in Iran; that framing is misleading and the claim is false.

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What does the image from a suspended account show?

X · high

True

The attached image is a stylized X (Twitter) branded graphic saying 'See what's happening'. It does not assert a checkable real-world event or outcome, and the post text provided gives no factual claim to verify. The asset appears to be a plausible promotional/branding image and there is no independent event coverage to check.

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Did the U.S. Democratic Party launch a media campaign accusing Israel of orchestrating a terrorist attack?

X · X post with fake video claiming Russian-connected disinformation

False

The mid-air incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 on 2026-09-30 is real and confirmed by major news outlets. The video and caption claiming the U.S. Democratic Party orchestrated the attack — including an alleged NewsGuard statement — are fabricated; NewsGuard denies producing the clip and independent fact-checkers flagged it as disinformation.

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Is this clip leaked cockpit video from Flydubai?

X · Lead Stories fact-check article from October 2, 2026

False

The short video being shared as 'Leaked Video from FlightDubai' is a fabricated/AI-generated clip (with unrelated 2017 road-rage audio) and does not show authentic leaked cockpit footage. The underlying Flydubai emergency landing on Sept 30, 2026 is real and widely reported, but this specific post is false and misleading.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Did Mel Gibson say he wants to remove Muslim culture?

YouTube · Viral on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads with millions of views combined

False

The viral quotation attributed to Mel Gibson about "removing Muslim culture" is fabricated and originates from impersonator accounts and repost networks; no credible evidence shows Gibson actually said it.

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Did Ronald Koeman use abusive language in a press conference?

TikTok · Multiple old videos (Moscow 2026, past Houthi attack footage) falsely circulating as recent Oct 2026 attacks. BoomLive fact-check identifies specific videos and sources. Yahoo News and Al-Monitor coverage of false framing. TikTok category active with misinformation. · resurfaced

Misleading

The video uses authentic-looking press-conference footage of Ronald Koeman after the Netherlands’ 1-1 (Morocco won on penalties) Round-of-32 exit, but its abusive, xenophobic lines (in the provided transcript/subtitles) are not supported by reputable coverage and appear to be added or manipulated. Koeman did defend his tactics, but he did not—according to mainstream reporting—use the extreme language shown in the TikTok.

ConflictOtherView details→

Did Google update its satellite images for Gaza?

X · Barry Andrews MEP post: 1.8M views; Ali Abunimah: 4.1M views; Linda Mamoun: 721K views; Al Jazeera thread: 82.2K views; Mastodon trending with 173+ shares across 170 accounts Oct 1-2

True

TRUE — Google has published updated satellite imagery of Gaza that is visible on Google Maps/Google Earth and multiple independent news organisations reported that those images show widespread destruction and neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.

ConflictOtherView details→

Did a flydubai flight experience a violent cockpit altercation?

X · Multiple X posts with 50K-100K+ views each; Saudi medic video viral on X; widespread coverage by Times of Israel, CNN, Al-Monitor; trending across Middle East/Africa regions

True But

The post correctly reports a violent cockpit altercation, a stabbing, and an emergency diversion and landing at Tabuk on 30 Sep 2026. The broader claim of an 18,400 ft drop in under two minutes and the precise 'nearly 100 kts' overspeed figure are not consistently supported by primary tracking data: ADS‑B/Flightradar24 reconstructions show an extremely rapid loss of altitude (examples ~14,000+ ft in under a minute) and high ground speeds, but the exact numbers cited in the post vary across sources.

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Did Japan ban Israeli tourists from entering the country?

X · One X post claimed 1.3M+ views; multiple posts on Facebook, X using 'BREAKING' language; spread during Israel-Gaza protests at Japanese embassy

False

False — there is no evidence Japan has enacted a nationwide ban on Israeli tourists. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to list Israel for short-term visa exemption and multiple independent fact-checkers have debunked viral posts claiming a ban.

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What happened during the Flydubai flight cockpit altercation involving a Russian and Ukrainian pilot?

X · Early posts cited 'Israeli Army Radio' saying the crew were Russian and Ukrainian. Later NEXTA and Lord Bebo shifted it: a Ukrainian and a Russian who were flying as passengers landed the plane. Snopes, Kashif and APA covered it.

True But

The Flydubai flight emergency and cockpit altercation on 30 September 2026 is corroborated by multiple news reports, but the post’s specific claim that 'Israeli Army Radio' reported the fight was between a Russian pilot and his Ukrainian assistant is only partly supported and is disputed by other sources and later statements.

ConflictOtherView details→

What happened on the Flydubai flight on September 30, 2026?

X · One Objective post quotes the attacker as saying 'I'm going to bomb the plane, Death to America, Death to Trump - Allahu Akbar' over cockpit video. End Wokeness: 'Muslim co-pilot stabs pilot and tries to take down plane'. Both embedded by WND.

True But

Reputable news organisations confirm that on Sept. 30, 2026 a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a cockpit stabbing and an attempted crash; passengers and crew subdued the attacker and the aircraft landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The social‑media caption correctly identifies the violent incident but mixes or amplifies details (exact passenger/child counts and quoted slogans) that are not corroborated in major reporting.

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Did the co-pilot stab the pilot on Flydubai flight?

X · Heidi Bachram post: 'video of the flight from Dubai plunging as the co-pilot appears to have tried to crash it'. Netanyahu said the pilot tried to crash the plane (Euronews/Newsweek); Flydubai says motive unclear, investigation underway (Newsweek).

True But

Contemporaneous reporting by major news organisations and statements by authorities confirm that a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30, 2026 experienced a violent cockpit incident in which one pilot stabbed the other and an apparent attempt to crash the plane occurred; the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia and landed safely. Passenger-count specifics (174 passengers, 27 children) appear in several local reports but are not uniformly given as an official manifest figure.

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Did Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska hold Israeli passports?

Facebook · Mimikama (DE/AT) debunked it on 29 Sep and Maldita (ES) on 30 Sep. Maldita found Google SynthID watermarks on both images. The images first appeared in Aug and Sep 2026 and are spreading again now. · resurfaced

False

The pictured Israeli passports for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska are manipulated forgeries. Multiple fact-checking organisations and Ukraine's counter-disinformation centre have analysed and debunked these images; there is no credible evidence the documents are authentic.

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Did NATO just drop a new promotional clip?

X · The X post had over one million views; Facebook copies in English and Italian say NATO 'just dropped' the clip. New coverage on 29 and 30 Sep shows it is still spreading. · resurfaced

Misleading

The video is an authentic NATO promotional video originally published on NATO's official YouTube channel on 7 July 2024; the post's claim that NATO 'just dropped this new promotional clip' is false/misleading, and the characterization of the clip as purely 'war propaganda' is an opinion. The video's content matches NATO's stated message about allied solidarity and support for Ukraine.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Is Russia staging propaganda videos in Oleshky?

X · 'Olechky' in Google Trends FR (500+, 29 Sep); covered by Euronews (28 Sep), Kyiv Independent editorial, Kyiv Post & RTE (30 Sep); tennis player Oliinykova and musician Pivovarov posted 'google Oleshky'; 'Save Oleshky' banner at football match.

Can't Verify

The X post accurately records an intelligence assessment made public by Ukraine's foreign minister on 30 September 2026. Multiple reputable outlets quote Sybiha's statement, but independent on-the-ground confirmation of the specific allegation that Russia is preparing dozens of staged videos coercing residents was not found in public reporting.

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Did a video show a Houthi strike on Yanbu Industrial City?

X · About a dozen separate clips claimed as Houthi strikes on Riyadh, Yanbu, Jizan and Riyadh airport circulated 28-30 Sep amid a live escalation; Saudi autocomplete suggests 'الحوثي يقصف الرياض' and 'الحوثي يقصف مطار الرياض'.

Misleading

The video shows a real, large fire but is being circulated with a caption that claims it depicts a Houthi strike on Yanbu Industrial City; Arabic fact-checkers have flagged the clip as unrelated/out-of-context, so the post's caption is misleading.

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