A 57-second video showing a heap of firearms and bundles of currency notes scattered is doing the rounds online with different claims. Some social media users who shared the video claimed that these were recovered from the house of a man named Hakim Salahuddin in Lucknow. Others claimed the footage indicated that plans to make 'India an Islamic country' were being hatched in a madrasa (Islamic educational institution).
On June 26, Lucknow police had arrested a man named Salahuddin with weapons, cartridges and equipment used for making illegal firearms. At the time, Alt News had debunked false claims by media outlets and social media users that police recovered 300 to 3,000 illegal firearms and 50,000 cartridges in 20 sacks from the accused's house. In reality, however, seven illegal weapons, seven airguns and about 140 cartridges were recovered from the accused individual.
X user @manamuntu posted the alleged video on June 29, linking it to the Lucknow incident. (Archive)
Other users on X and Facebook also shared it with claims that this was footage of the recovery of arms from Salahuddin in Lucknow.
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X User 'Mahavir Jain' (@Mahaveer_VJ) also shared this with an inflammatory caption, which said that Hindus may have 50 educational degrees, but it is the madrassa-educated, illiterates who work towards their religion. (Archive)
This video was also circulated on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with provocative messages that said, "These are the plans by illiterate madrasa-educated jihadis. No matter how educated you are, no matter how many degrees you have, if you are unaware of the conspiracies of jihadis, then your education and degree are zero". The viral text also says, "Through their conspiracies, their population explosion, their preparations, they (Muslims) have come very close to making Hindustan an Islamic country. Hindus are too busy in mutual brotherhood, Ganga Yamuna tehzeeb and sabka saath sabka vikaas."
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Fact Check
Alt News found that the viral video comprised three different clips. We will look at each separately:
First clip
The first four seconds of the video show hundreds of weapons scattered on the ground. Upon reverse image searching key frames from this clip, Alt News came across an article by The New York Times dated August 16, 2021. The article mentioned that the Taliban had confiscated weapons from Afghan military forces.
The outfit took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, following which panic spread among the people, who left for Kabul airport to flee the country. The Taliban then took over the military forces and their property. At that time, this video of the Taliban confiscating a large number of weapons was shared on social media.
At the time, ABP News also ran the clip of the Taliban seizing weapons. Thus it was clear that the clip is dated and unrelated to the recent seizure of weapons in Lucknow.
Second clip
Next, Alt News looked into the clip showing a bundle of notes, which appears between the 0:05 and 0:35-minute mark in the viral video. A reverse image search of frames from here led us to a clip from February 6, 2020. The first few frames of this 30-second clip show a piece of paper with the date January 20, 2020 and a timestamp reading 13:34. Alt News was unable to find much information about this video except that it has been online since February 2020.
An outlet called 'Pajhwok Afghan News' also posted this clip on February 12, 2020 and claimed that the video was from Afghanistan.
Thus, it is clear that this video has been available online at least since 2020 and is unrelated to the recent seizure of illegal weapons in Lucknow.
Third clip
From the 0:36-minute mark, the viral video shows a group of people amidst weapons. A reverse image search of this frame led us to some reports covering the Taliban seizing US weapons. On August 14, 2021, a Facebook page named 'El Media – خبرگزاری ایل' posted this video and said that the weapons were now in the hands of the Taliban.
On August 15, 2021, this video was posted by an Instagram user named Behdad Javdan. Behdad describes himself as a journalist and in the caption, he reported that the Taliban seized US military equipment, anti-mine armoured vehicles, drones and ammunition as it gained a foothold in Afghanistan.
On August 14, 2021, Iran-based outlet SNN also published this video providing the same information.
To sum up, it is clear that the clips are old and unrelated to the recent seizure of weapons in Lucknow. These clips were compiled and shared with misleading communal claims. Alt News had previously debunked exaggerated claims of 3,000 guns, 50,000 cartridges and cash being recovered from the house of Hakim Salahuddin in Lucknow.
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Hello, my name is Ankit Sahu. I'm a 25 year old self-employed Pirate from the Chhindwara.