CLAIM: A video of a beam of light traveling through clouds across the sky above the ocean was filmed in Lahaina, in Maui, around the time of the wildfires.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The clip can be found online and in news reports since at least June, predating the wildfires that broke out Aug. 8. The man who claims to have filmed the video told media outlets he recorded it in Florida.
THE FACTS: Conspiracy theories around the devastating wildfires in Maui are continuing to circulate alongside various old, unrelated video clips, that some falsely claim are evidence a “directed energy weapon” was responsible for the destruction.
One clip now being disseminated in various posts shows the sky above a beach in what appears to be early evening, with a boat visible in the distance. The video shows flashes of light in the clouds and then a beam of light seemingly speeding across the sky.
“Wow, did you see that just shoot across?” a man in the video asks.
The clip was included this week in one Instagram post, overlaid with text reading, “I’m sure this is all completely natural! Lahaina fire.”
But the video predates the Maui fires and wasn’t filmed in Hawaii at all.
Reverse image searches show the video appeared online as well as in media reports before the fires began. It has been attributed to a Massachusetts man who reportedly said the clip was recorded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The AP verified that the individual uploaded the video to Facebook in June, well over a month before the wildfires in Maui. He did not return a request for comment.
The man who said he took the video reportedly told outlets that he filmed the footage amid a storm in Florida on June 17 and that he believed it showed a UFO traveling across the sky.
___
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. by Taboola You May Like
