Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
At least 88 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar on Monday. Following this, social media platforms were flooded with unsolicited visuals, purportedly the site of the explosion and its aftermath. Newschecker investigated a series of images that are being shared in the context of the recent blast in Peshawar on social media and found at least four of them to be old and unrelated to yesterday’s attack.
We debunk them one by one:
Claim 1: Image shows the aftermath of the recent Peshawar blast
A photograph showing a tattered complex with a red-carpeted ground is being linked to the Peshawar mosque blast on Monday.
An archived versions of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check/Verification
A Google reverse image search on the viral photograph led us to a report by BBC, dated March 4, 2022, titled ‘Pakistan bombing kills dozens in Shia mosque in Peshawar.’ The report carried the viral image with the caption, “The scene inside the building after the bombing,” and elaborated, “A bombing inside a mosque in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least 56 people, medics say. A hospital spokesman said more than 190 people were wounded in the suspected suicide attack on the Shia mosque while Friday prayers were being held.”
A Times Of India report on the Peshawar blast, dated March 4, 2022, also carried a photograph of the same complex from a slightly different angle.
Further, we came across multiple reports featuring the viral photograph to show the damage caused by a blast in Peshawar in March 2022. Such reports can be seen here, here, and here.
Claim 2: Image shared to show visuals from Peshawar mosque blast
Another photograph, showing a room in shambles with pieces of broken glass on its floor, is also being shared to show the aftermath of the recent explosion in Peshawar.
An archived versions of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check/Verification
A TinEye search on the viral photograph yielded a report by Reuters, dated October 9, 2021, titled ‘Suicide bomber kills scores in the Afghan mosque attack.’ Displaying the viral image, the report stated, “A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunduz province on Friday, killing scores of worshippers in the country’s third attack this week on a religious institution. Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that state-run Bakhtar news agency said had killed 46 people and wounded 143.”
Following this, we conducted a keyword search for “Afghan Kunduz province,” &“ Mosque Blast 2021” which yielded a report by The Guardian, dated October 8, 2021. Carrying an image of the same complex, the report elaborated, “The attack was the most deadly in the country since a suicide bombing – also claimed by ISKP – at Kabul airport during the US-led withdrawal, which killed 13 US servicemen and 169 Afghans. Photos and video from the scene in Kunduz showed rescuers carrying a body wrapped in a blanket from the mosque to an ambulance.”
Al Jazeera also featured the same image in its report on the October 2021 blast at a mosque in Afghan’s Kunduz.
Also Read: Old Photo Claiming to show aftermath of Peshawar Mosque Blast
Claim 3: Image from site after recent Peshawar blast
Users also shared an image showing a group of people likely inspecting some rubble.
An archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check/Verification
We conducted a Google reverse image search on the viral photograph and found a report by The Express Tribune, dated March 9, 2013. Displaying the viral photograph, the report stated, “At least four people were killed, and 27 were injured in a blast inside a mosque, near Meena Bazaar in Peshawar… The blast was in the Jamia Chishtia mosque. The walls of the mosque and nearby houses were damaged due to the blast…”
Further, we conducted a keyword search for “Jamia Chishtia mosque, “ Peshawar,” & “blast” on Google, which led us to a report by The Dawn, dated March 9, 2013, featuring the viral image with the caption, “Rescuers and local people look around the blast site in Peshawar.”
Claim 4: Image showing a blood stained page from a book after explosion
A photograph, showing what appears to be a page from a book with stains of blood, is doing the rounds on Twitter with the caption, “Most heartbreaking picture on internet today #Peshawarblast”
An archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check/Verification
A Yandex reverse image search on the viral photograph yielded a tweet by @ZahidLashari15, dated October 28, 2020. The post featured a colored version of the viral image with the caption, “…With the drops of blood of young students on this martyred Quran, let these terrorists, who shed the blood of innocent people, become a lesson. Say it all… #Peshawarblast (translated from Urdu)”
Taking a clue, we conducted a keyword search for “Quran page,” “blood-stained,” & “Peshawar” which led us to a report by Parhlo, dated October 27, 2020, on the blast in a seminary at Dir Colony in the Pakistani city. The report featured a tweet from the same date carrying the viral photograph.
We could not independently verify the whereabouts of the photograph. However, it has been circulating online since at least October 2020.
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that unrelated images showing the aftermath of earlier explosions have been falsely linked to the recent blast in Peshawar. The images have been presented in a false context.
Result: False
Sources
Report By BBC, Dated March 4, 2022
Report By Times Of India, Dated March 4, 2022
Report By Reuters, Dated October 9, 2021
Report By The Guardian, Dated October 8, 2021
Report By The Express Tribune, Dated March 9, 2013
Report By The Dawn, Dated March 9, 2013
Tweet By @ZahidLashari15, Dated October 28, 2020
Report By Parhlo, Dated October 27, 2020
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
