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  • 2021-08-11 (xsd:date)
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  • Fabricated tweet on Kenya arrest mixes up Interpol police network with rock band by same name (en)
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  • Facebook posts sharing a screenshot of a tweet allegedly written by Interpol purport that the international police organisation has commented on the arrest of a Turkish national in Kenya. The claim is false; the image was digitally manipulated to add a fake comment. Those who created it used the Twitter handle @Interpol , which actually belongs to a US rock band by that name -- not the international police organisation. A Facebook post published on August 7, 2021, shared the screenshot of the purported tweet alongside the caption Interpol has made a statement. The purported tweet reads: We’ve not instructed Kenya to arrest Turkish businessman and neither do we have any warrant his arrest (sic). A screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on August 11, 2021 The same screenshot was shared in Facebook posts here , here and here . The posts came after Kenyan media reported that Harun Aydin, a Turkish national with links to Kenya's deputy president William Ruto, was arrested on August 7, 2021, shortly following his arrival to the country from Uganda. According to reports here and here , he was to travel to Uganda with the deputy president, but Ruto was barred from travelling. Local media reported ( here , here and here ) that Aydin was scheduled to appear at a Kenyan court on August 9, 2021, to answer terrorism charges, but instead, he was deported to Turkey. Meanwhile, contrary to the claims circulating on Facebook, the global police network Interpol has not commented on this matter. Confusion with rock band Interpol The screenshot uses the Twitter handle @Interpol, which has a blue certification tick, but which belongs to a very different Interpol -- the US rock band by the same name. The band’s Twitter account -- which shares information about concerts and new releases -- did not post anything about Aydin’s arrest in Kenya. The screenshot was digitally manipulated by using the band’s Twitter handle and adding in text about the arrest. It appears that whoever created the false screenshot mixed up the band and the international organisation, despite the account’s profile picture showing the faces of the band’s members and its bio discussing new releases. A screenshot of the US rock band’s Twitter account, taken on August 8, 2021 AFP Fact Check contacted the band’s representatives for comment and will update this article if they reply. The global police network Interpol dismissed the purported tweet, noting that it did not originate from its official channels. The official INTERPOL Twitter account is @INTERPOL_HQ . The account is not connected to INTERPOL, the international police organization, Interpol’s press office said in an email. The Twitter accounts of the international police organization (L) and the US rock band (R) (en)
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