Clip of truck hitting teen in Indonesia misrepresented as 'Bangladeshi driver resisting extortion'
"I salute this patriotic and brave driver for killing even one extortionist. I appeal to all the drivers of the country to raze the extortionists in this way." reads part of the Bengali-language caption of a graphic Facebook video posted on July 4, 2025.
Viewed more than 740,000 times, the video appears to show a person standing in the middle of the road attempting to stop an oncoming truck with their hands. The truck, however, does not stop and runs over the individual.
Image
Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on July 17, 2025, with a red X added by AFP
The same clip was also shared in similar Facebook posts in Bangladesh, where -- according to a task force formed by the interim government -- extortion is deeply entrenched (archived link).
There were nationwide protests on July 11 following the murder of a local scrap trader, reportedly because he refused to pay extortion money (archived link).
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, seen as the election frontrunner in polls scheduled for April 2026, has also started taking steps to weed out members allegedly involved in crimes ranging from extortion to rape and murder (archived here and here).
The video circulating online, however, was not filmed in Bangladesh.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to an Indonesian-language news report that included a still from the clip (archived link).
The report by local media organisation Warta Kota, published on July 13, 2021, said the incident involved a teenager who sustained serious injuries and it occurred on RE Martadinata Street, in the North Cikarang district of Bekasi Regency (archived link).
Image
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the image used in the Warta Kota report (right)
A subsequent report by the Pos Kota newspaper on July 14, which also contained a screenshot from the video, said the teenager succumbed to his injuries (archived link).
According to news outlet Tempo, the group of teens were doing a TikTok challenge dubbed "the grim reaper prank" (archived link). The report said the group had earlier filmed several similar videos before the deadly incident.
Elements visible in the falsely shared video, including lamp posts and roadside plant pots, also correspond to Google Street View imagery of RE Martadinata Street (archived link).
Image
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and Google Street View imagery of RE Martadinata Street (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP
AFP has debunked other posts that falsely presented clips as having been filmed in Bangladesh here and here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Kenya drops terror charge against prominent activist
The east African country has seen a wave of deadly protests against President William Ruto and police brutality that have left dozens dead and thousands of businesses destroyed. Rights groups have criticised the government's heavy-handed response, including the recent use of terrorism charges against protesters. Mwangi was detained on Saturday and accused by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations with the "facilitation of terrorist acts", which he denied, declaring in an image on X: "I am not a terrorist". He appeared in a Nairobi court on Monday chanting "Ruto Must Go". His charge sheet, seen by AFP, accused him of "possession of noxious substances to wit three teargas cannisters without lawful authority", as well as a single round of blank ammunition. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a one million shilling (around $7,000) bail bond. "The truth is our president is scared of young people, because young people are organising by themselves, they are going to the streets, they are demanding better," Mwangi told supporters and journalists outside the court. "Our president thinks people are being paid to go to the streets, and they think I am the financer. "People hate Ruto for free," he said. A coalition of rights groups welcomed the court's decision to drop the terrorism charges, but said they remained "deeply concerned" by the use "in more than 100 other cases". It urged authorities to "abandon this dangerous approach to managing public dissent". Mwangi's detention over the weekend triggered significant online condemnation under the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi. The search warrant police used to raid his home and office accused the campaigner of paying "goons" to stoke unrest at protests last month. Mwangi has been arrested multiple times in Kenya. He was also detained in May in neighbouring Tanzania where he was attending the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire say they were tortured and sexually abused while in the custody of Tanzanian police before being returned to their respective countries. The pair brought a case against the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan governments to the East African Court of Justice last week. Mass protests initially broke out in Kenya in June 2024 over tax rises, and reignited last month over police violence and illegal detentions. Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed by police in the latest round of protests, while the government puts the figure at 42.
AFP
13 hours ago
- AFP
Clip of truck hitting teen in Indonesia misrepresented as 'Bangladeshi driver resisting extortion'
Warning: graphic footage "I salute this patriotic and brave driver for killing even one extortionist. I appeal to all the drivers of the country to raze the extortionists in this way." reads part of the Bengali-language caption of a graphic Facebook video posted on July 4, 2025. Viewed more than 740,000 times, the video appears to show a person standing in the middle of the road attempting to stop an oncoming truck with their hands. The truck, however, does not stop and runs over the individual. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on July 17, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The same clip was also shared in similar Facebook posts in Bangladesh, where -- according to a task force formed by the interim government -- extortion is deeply entrenched (archived link). There were nationwide protests on July 11 following the murder of a local scrap trader, reportedly because he refused to pay extortion money (archived link). The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, seen as the election frontrunner in polls scheduled for April 2026, has also started taking steps to weed out members allegedly involved in crimes ranging from extortion to rape and murder (archived here and here). The video circulating online, however, was not filmed in Bangladesh. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to an Indonesian-language news report that included a still from the clip (archived link). The report by local media organisation Warta Kota, published on July 13, 2021, said the incident involved a teenager who sustained serious injuries and it occurred on RE Martadinata Street, in the North Cikarang district of Bekasi Regency (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared clip (left) and the image used in the Warta Kota report (right) A subsequent report by the Pos Kota newspaper on July 14, which also contained a screenshot from the video, said the teenager succumbed to his injuries (archived link). According to news outlet Tempo, the group of teens were doing a TikTok challenge dubbed "the grim reaper prank" (archived link). The report said the group had earlier filmed several similar videos before the deadly incident. Elements visible in the falsely shared video, including lamp posts and roadside plant pots, also correspond to Google Street View imagery of RE Martadinata Street (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and Google Street View imagery of RE Martadinata Street (right), with corresponding features highlighted by AFP AFP has debunked other posts that falsely presented clips as having been filmed in Bangladesh here and here.
LeMonde
20 hours ago
- LeMonde
93 Palestinians killed by Israeli army in Gaza while trying to collect aid, civil defense says
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory on Sunday, July 20, killing 93 people and wounding dozens more. Eighty were killed as truckloads of aid arrived in the north, while nine others were reported shot near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier. Four were killed near another aid site in Khan Yunis, also in the south, agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP. The UN World Food Programme said its 25-truck convoy carrying food aid "encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire" near Gaza City, soon after it crossed from Israel and cleared checkpoints. Israel's military disputed the death toll and said soldiers had fired warning shots "to remove an immediate threat posed to them" as thousands gathered near Gaza City. Deaths of civilians seeking aid have become a regular occurrence in Gaza, with the authorities blaming Israeli fire as crowds facing chronic shortages of food and other essentials flock in huge numbers to aid centers. The UN said earlier this month that nearly 800 aid-seekers had been killed since late May, including on the routes of aid convoys. 'Sniper' fire In Gaza City, Qasem Abu Khater, 36, told AFP he had rushed to try to get a bag of flour but instead found a desperate crowd of thousands and "deadly overcrowding and pushing." "The tanks were firing shells randomly at us and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest," he added. "Dozens of people were martyred right before my eyes and no one could save anyone." The WFP condemned violence against civilians seeking aid as "completely unacceptable." Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. The army says it works to avoid harm to civilians, and that this month it issued new instructions to its troops on the ground "following lessons learned" from a spate of similar incidents. Israel on Sunday withdrew the residency permit of head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall, who has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a post to X, accused him of spreading lies about the war in Gaza. The war was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 58,895 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
