Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
A content is published with a caption claiming that three Serbs from Kosovo and one Albanian from Albania have been arrested, as they are suspected of possessing flags with the caption "Cyprus is Greece", with the intention of displaying them during the football match between Kosovo and Turkey.
content This claim was published on Monday (March 30) on Facebook, by the account named "Lajme Nga Bota".
What is the truth?
Hibrid.info found this claim to be false.
As of the time of writing, the publication in question has received over 150 reactions, nearly 40 comments, and over 20 shares. From the content of the comments on the post, it can be assessed that the audience is likely to perceive the claim as credible.
Hibrid.info has researched using "Google", the search engine, searching for the words "Three Serbs from Kosovo and one Albanian from Albania are arrested". Results from a search for the content being addressed in this article did not turn up articles from credible sources that would confirm the claim (see here).
Also, a search on the official Facebook page of the Kosovo Police, as the institution mentioned in this claim, did not find any announcement that confirms the accuracy of the claim (see here).
While using the automated search program, “InVID”, it was found that the image used in presenting this claim is old (see here).
The account that published the claim has over 10 thousand followers. Hibrid.info has dealt with the content published by this account on several occasions (see here, here, here, here and here).
Hibrid.info also on Tuesday (March 31) covered a content that falsely claimed that anti-Ottoman choreography was being prepared on the eve of the Kosovo-Turkey match (see here). Apart from the arrest of two people for setting off fireworks at the hotel where the Turkish team was staying, no other incidents related to this match have been reported by the media (see here).
Analyze:
The claim that three Serbs from Kosovo and one Albanian from Albania were arrested for possessing flags with the inscription "Cyprus is Greece" with the intention of displaying them at the Kosovo-Turkey match is not accurate.
The content is not supported by any credible source, has not been confirmed by the Kosovo Police, and the image used appears to be old.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses the content as "Fake News".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.