Video from Indonesia falsely shared as 'mosque set on fire in India'

The Verdict [False]
A video of a burning mosque in Luwuk, Indonesia, was falsely claimed to show a mosque set on fire in India; the fire began in a nearby market stall

What is the claim?

A video of a burning mosque-like structure is circulating online with the claim that it shows a mosque set on fire in India. In the viral clip, people can be seen gathering around the burning building. Several Facebook users shared the video, writing a caption in Bengali, which roughly translates to: “The mosque has been set on fire in India!” Archived versions of these posts can be found here and here.

*Screenshots of social media posts. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)*

However, our investigation revealed that the video is from Indonesia and shows a local mosque on fire.

How did we find the truth?

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral clip revealed that the incident occurred in Indonesia, not India. A Facebook page named Tolitoli News (archived here) shared images matching the viral video, stating that the fire broke out at the Central Market in Luwuk, Banggai, on December 8, 2024.

*A comparison between the viral video and an image included in the Facebook post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)*

Indonesian media outlet TribunPalu reported that the fire began at a stall in the central market and quickly spread to a nearby mosque, burning dozens of adjacent stalls. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire. The report noted that no casualties were reported, but losses are estimated in the billions of rupiah. The article also featured an image of the mosque, which matches the structure seen in the viral video.

On December 9, TribunPalu published a detailed video report on YouTube (archived here), stating that the fire, which damaged 128 buildings in the Luwuk Banggai Central Market, was allegedly caused by an electrical short circuit in a kitchen.

A Facebook page, Pos-Kupang.com, also shared a video (archived here) report with similar visuals. The mosque’s name, Al-Ikhsan, was visible in the footage. Using this information, we geolocated the mosque on Google Maps. A comparison using Google Street View confirmed that the mosque in the viral video and the building in question are the same.

*A comparison between the viral video and an image from Google Street View. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)*

The verdict

A video showing a burning mosque in Indonesia was falsely claimed to show a mosque being set on fire in India. The incident occurred at a market in Luwuk, Indonesia, on December 8, 2024.

This article is written by Rahul Adhikari and republished from Logically Facts. Read the original article here.

With inputs from Logically Facts as part of the Shakti Collective.