A video of security officials forcibly detaining individuals is being shared online with a false claim that it shows US officials detaining immigrants.
BOOM found that the video is from Germany where Berlin police temporarily detained pro-Palestinian protesters on December 20, 2024, for violating the law.
US authorities have recently shared visuals of security officials handcuffing illegal immigrants, including Indians, and boarding them onto planes for deportation. The action follows an executive order by newly elected US President Donald Trump to remove illegal entrants from the country. The video of the police action is going viral in this context.
A Facebook user shared the video with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Only Americans will remain in America".
(Original Text in Hindi: अमेरिका में केवल अमेरिकी रहेगा)
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM extracted keyframes from the video and ran a reverse image search. The search led to an X post that shared the same video on December 22, 2024, with overlaid the text "Berlin 20.12.2024."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
The video was posted in connection with the Magdeburg attack in Germany, claiming to show police detained the perpetrator.
We then examined the police officials' arm badge visible in the video and found that it matched those worn by Berlin police officers.
Taking a cue, we ran a related keyword search and found a Reuters fact-check article stating that the video shows a police operation in Berlin that took place before the Magdeburg Christmas market attack.
On December 27, 2024, Reuters reported that the international news agency reached out to Valeska Jakubowski, deputy head of the Berlin Police press office, who refuted any connection between the viral video and the Magdeburg attack.
Jakubowski told Reuters that the video captures a police operation at Berlin Central Station between 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. on December 20, during which 10 pro-Palestinian protesters were temporarily detained for chanting an "unconstitutional slogan" and "violating the Berlin Freedom of Assembly Act (VersFG BE)." She also added that all detainees were released on-site the same evening and that no police reports were filed.
Magdeburg attack in Germany
German outlet Deutsche Welle on December 20, 2024, reported that a car was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, resulting in two deaths and at least 60 injured. The outlet later updated that the death toll had risen to five and that the police had arrested a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist, Taleb A., at the scene.
It further reported that German authorities have faced accusations of overlooking warning signs and failing to provide security ahead of the December 20 attack, with lawmakers questioning officials about possible security lapses linked to the deadly car ramming in Magdeburg.
