Deepfake Video Shared As BBC Reporting Indian Passenger Tried to Hijack Israel-Bound Flight

A viral video purportedly showing a BBC News report claiming that an Indian passenger named Raghav Menon, attempted to hijack an Israel-bound flydubai flight is a deepfake.

BOOM tested the video using multiple AI detection tools, which detected AI manipulation. BBC News also confirmed to BOOM that it had not aired the footage.

Praises poured in from around the world, including from US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar over his alleged attempt to save an Israel-bound flydubai flight from a “catastrophic mid-air disaster.” News reports state that Captain Machchhar was allegedly attacked by his co-pilot while flying a flydubai flight to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport but managed to protect the passengers despite sustaining serious injuries. According to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the captain was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia following the incident and is currently in stable condition.

The Claim

Several verified X handles shared the video with the caption, "BREAKING: According to the latest updates of flight FZ10703, Parag Jain and Ajit Doval from India held secret meeting with Mossad and selected former intelligence RAW agent Raghav Menon for a covert mission in coordination with indian Pilot Smit Machchhar for Dubai–Tel Aviv flight hijacking. The plan was to shift blame onto Iran or Arab states. But when it failed, Israeli security media reduced the incident to a mere altercation between the two pilots."

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What We Found: BBC Did Not Air the Viral Report

1. No Such Report by BBC: We searched BBC's website and official social media accounts using relevant keywords but found no such report. We identified the presenter in the viral video as BBC journalist Sally Bundock. However, a genuine BBC News video published on September 29, 2026, shows Bundock reporting on OpenAI's decision regarding its latest AI model, Astra, while wearing the same dress seen in the viral video.

2. AI Audio Detector Tools Flag Manipulation: We then analysed the video's audio using AI detection tools Hiya and Resemble AI. Both tools flagged the voice as fake and detected signs of AI manipulation.

3. Clarification From BBC: For further verification, we contacted BBC News to confirm whether it had aired or published the report. A BBC News representative confirmed that no such report was aired by the channel. The representative told BOOM, “We can confirm the below footage is fake.”