BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • No, A US Soldier Didn't Wipe His...
      World

      No, A US Soldier Didn't Wipe His Saliva On A Subway Train In Wuhan

      The incident happened in Belgium after which the man was arrested

      By - AFP |
      Published -  25 March 2020 10:03 AM IST
    • Boomlive
      No, A US Soldier Didnt Wipe His Saliva On A Subway Train In Wuhan


      A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim it shows a US soldier spreading the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, by wiping his saliva on a subway train handrail in the Chinese city of Wuhan in October 2019. The claim is false; the video circulated in reports in March 2020 about an incident on a subway in Belgium; the Belgian transport body said the man in the video had been arrested over the incident.

      The video was published here on Facebook on March 17, 2020. It has since been viewed more than 8,300 times.

      The 27-second video shows a man on a subway train lowering his facemask before lick his fingers and rubbing them on a handrail.

      The simplified Chinese text superimposed on the clip translates to English as: "During Military World Games/American person spread virus/Pay attention to this/The United States is evil".

      Also read: Message Claiming Coronavirus Can Last Up To 8 Hours In Air Is Misleading

      Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:

      Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post

      The post's caption, written in a mix of English and simplified Chinese characters, reads: "Just to share this clip and its comments from China: Wuhan's security cameras all recorded American soldiers' itinerary route at that time. This American soldier, as the Military World Games was going on, had already worn a mask. Started to spread the epidemic virus by taking subway. Let's take a detailed look at his hand movement, from the mouth to the handrail, from which we will know the evil and vicious heart of Americans. Poor Wuhan citizens, they were then infected by the merciless epidemic virus."

      COVID-19 was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has since spread worldwide. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the pandemic has killed more than 14,510 people and infected some 332,930 others globally.

      The Military World Games is an quadrennial international event for military sportsmen. Wuhan hosted the 7th Military World Games from October 18 to 27 in 2019, as reported by Chinese state media Xinhua here.

      The video was also shared here, here and here on Facebook, here, here and here on Twitter, and here on YouTube, alongside a similar claim.

      The claim is false.

      A combined keyword and reverse image search using keyframes extracted from the video found this March 11, 2020 article by UK-based newspaper The Independent, headlined: "Coronavirus: Man arrested after licking his fingers and wiping them on pole in train".

      The report reads, in part: "A train passenger has been arrested after he was filmed licking his fingers and wiping them on a vertical handrail in Belgium.

      "Belgium's transport authority, the Societe des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB-MBIV), replied to a social media user who posted the video that the man was drunk and arrested by police."

      A screenshot of the footage is included in the article, credited to Twitter user SoulOff, alongside a caption that reads: "A man who was filmed licking his fingers and wiping them on a handrail on public transport was arrested by Belgian authorities".

      Also read: Mumbai Police Rubbishes Viral Message On Timings Of Essential Items Sold

      Below is a screenshot of The Independent article:

      Screenshot of The Independent article

      The incident was also reported by other local and international media, including the Begian news website Brussels Times here, Australia's News.com here and Thai newspaper Bangkok Post here.

      Belgium's STIB-MBIV addressed the video in this tweet dated March 10, 2020, stating the man had been arrested.

      "The man (intoxicated) was arrested by the police and our security service. The subway train was withdrawn from service to be disinfected. Thank you for your message. Our metros are cleaned every day."

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      WuhanCOVID-19
      Read Full Article
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!