Footage of a fake alien invasion is being misrepresented as a lightning strike before Morocco quake
CLAIM: A video shows a large lightning strike that occurred in Morocco prior to a recent earthquake.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video was not filmed in Morocco, nor does it show a lightning strike. It was posted in 2020 by a TikTok user who regularly shares special effects content depicting apocalyptic events and shows what appears to be an alien spacecraft attacking a neighborhood in Los Angeles.
THE FACTS: After a rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco last week, social media users began falsely claiming that the video was connected to the devastation in North Africa.
“Large lightning appears before earthquake in Morocco with unknown causes,” reads a caption on the video, in which shouts and sirens are heard before an enormous white flash briefly lights up the night sky.
One tweet that shared the clip had received more than 4,700 likes and more than 3,000 shares as of Tuesday.
But the 3-year-old video was not shot in Morocco and does not show a lightning strike.
It was originally posted on TikTok in 2020 by Andy Fortenbacher, a Los Angeles-based writer, director and producer who goes by “Jay Hideaway” on the platform. Old TikTok posts featuring Fortenbacher’s content include links to a profile with the handle “@andyfotenbacher” that now redirect to the Jay Hideaway address.
Fortenbacher’s version of the misrepresented video more clearly shows what looks like an alien spacecraft floating in the air before the flash, along with the captions: “First a pandemic and now ALIENS?!?!?!” and “UFO sighting in Los Angeles.” He often shares videos of similar fictitious apocalyptic events, such as the sun exploding or an asteroid hitting the moon.
The original footage for many of these videos, including the one currently being shared online, was filmed from the roof of a building near Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood. Google Maps images of a shopping plaza match one visible in the clips.
Fortenbacher, who did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press, also lists the alien invasion video for sale on OpenSea, an NFT marketplace, where it is titled “The Visitors.” His profile on the platform describes his work as “original apocalyptic video art.”
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco, felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, is the biggest to hit the country in 120 years. More than 2,900 deaths had been reported as of Tuesday, with thousands of others injured. Widespread damage occurred in and around the historic city of Marrakesh.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.