New Delhi: (Kaushiki Goel / Pratyush Ranjan, PTI Fact Check): A video showing people running frantically inside an indoor space, amid visible panic and chaos, has been shared on social media with the claim that it captures scenes from Tel Aviv airport as Israelis flee amid ongoing Iranian strikes.
However, the Press Trust of India’s (PTI) Fact Check Desk investigated the viral clip and found that it has no connection to the Iran-Israel conflict. The footage is actually from the Florida Mall in Orlando, United States, where panic erupted after a man accidentally shot himself. The video is unrelated to the recent events in the Middle East and has been falsely linked to the conflict on social media.
Claim:
A video featuring people running in an indoor space and chaos was shared by an X user named @Ayesha786Majid’ on June 17, claiming that it showed the incident at Tel Aviv airport as Israelis run from Iranian strikes amid ongoing conflict
“All this is the result of Netanyahu’s actions, due to which Israeli citizens had to run barefoot. See how chaos has spread at Tel Aviv airport,” read the post’s caption.
Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same.
Investigation
The Desk ran the viral video through the InVid tool and extracted multiple keyframes. Using one of these keyframes in a Google Lens Search, the Desk found several social media accounts sharing the same video with similar claims. Two such posts can be found here and here, with their archived versions available here and here respectively.
On running the keyframes through Reverse Image Search, we came across a similar video uploaded by an Instagram user ‘realkingpolobeatz’ on February 23. This clarifies that the video is old and is unrelated to the ongoing conflict. As per the caption, it showed people running in a mall in Florida, USA. Moreover, multiple users commented that people had started running after hearing a gunshot, with one saying that it happened because "someone shot themselves by accident."
“PEOPLE RUNNING AT THE FLORIDA MALL IN ORLANDO FOR NO REASON #mall #orlandoflorida #florida #fyp #reels,” read the post’s caption.
Taking a cue from this, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search on Google to find relevant media reports and came across a report by ‘WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando’ uploaded on their official YouTube channel on February 17, 2025. As per the report, a man was injured after accidentally shooting himself at the Florida Mall.
Here is the link to the report, and below is a screenshot of the same.
Another report by Times Now, dated February 17, also reported the incident, mentioning that there were reports of a shooting at the Florida Mall on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando in Florida. Multiple eyewitnesses on social media reported that shots were fired at the mall.
The report also carried an X post from the official account of the Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office that cited that there was an accidental discharge of a firearm, and the only person injured was the person who was handling the firearm.
“ALERT: Reports of a shooting at the Florida Mall are unfounded. There was an accidental discharge of a firearm, and the only person injured is the person who was handling the firearm,” read the post.
Here is the link, and below is a screenshot of the same.
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the video actually shows people running in Orlando's Florida Mall after a man accidentally shot himself.
FACT
The video is from Florida, USA. Nothing to do with the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
CONCLUSION
Multiple social media users shared a video showing chaos at Tel Aviv airport as Israelis run from Iranian strikes amid the ongoing conflict. However, the Desk concluded that the video actually shows people running in Orlando's Florida Mall after a man accidentally shot himself.
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