An attack on the British parliament in Westminster on Wednesday left at least four dead and 20 wounded. As of 7:30pm London time, the identity of the attacker had not been released.
As is often the case, misinformation began circulating quickly after the attack.
1. Britain's Channel 4 reported that a man named Abu Izzadeen is the suspect in the attack, but he was jailed a year ago. Sources confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Izzadeen is still in prison. The network has since retracted its claim.
Statement from Channel 4 News
2. Russian media outlets have been spreading a false picture of the suspect during a live broadcast and on Facebook.
The photo is actually from a 2013 incident when a man with a knife was tasered outside Buckingham Palace.
3. One tweet of a screenshot from Al Jazeera's live Facebook coverage said "the Muslim world" is laughing at the London attack.
🔴 #Westminster : Sur @AlJazeera, le monde musulman est hilare #westminsterattack #westminsterbridge #london… https://t.co/xAd1xTTn4p
It's difficult to know whether the screenshot is real, but it is possible to see all the reactions a video got on Facebook. Al Jazeera's video shows a very small minority of viewers "laughed" at the video.
4. An interview with Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, in which he said terrorist attacks are "part and parcel" of life in big cities, has been taken out of context.
Mayor of London @SadiqKhan says these things are normal, so let's not worry about it #Westminster
The interview was tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. and many of his supporters. Some are framing the article as if the comments were made after the Westminster attack.
You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO
The interview was published in September 2016. In it, Khan said large cities “have got to be prepared for these sorts of things”, adding: "It is my job to try to make sure that we are as safe as we can be.”
5. In what has become a recurring hoax, comedian Sam Hyde has once again been falsely called the suspect.
here's another. Every time there is an incident, you'll see tweets with comedian Sam Hyde's picture. This is a hoax… https://t.co/S7hv4AeyEb
6. There are also fake victims, like in every major attack. This is fairly common among Mexican internet users, like in this hoax featuring journalist Tamara de Anda.
This is Tamara de Anda, a Mexican journalist, she is alive and well on FB live right now #westminster #parliament… https://t.co/HKpLEQ8bkT
7. People are sharing an image of a London underground service information sign that says Londoners "will drink tea and jolly well carry on". It is a fake sign, made by an online generator.
