Bangladeshi police debunk AI-generated video of officers revealing political parties' plot as 'absolutely false'

In November 2025, following a wave of explosions and civil unrest across Bangladesh linked to the banned Awami League party of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an AI-generated video began circulating on social media. The clip falsely claimed that police had discovered a plot by opposition parties to set buses on fire and blame supporters of the former leader.

A police officer told AFP that no such statement had been made, describing the video as "entirely false." The Bengali-language caption on a Facebook post from November 12, 2025, claimed: "Resignation of 50 coordinators and leak of secret information about Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir attacks planned for the 13th."

The term "coordinators" refers to students who led the protests that overthrew the Awami League government in August 2024. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is considered a front-runner for the February 2026 elections, while Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir (Shibir) is the student wing of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party.

The video appeared to show a police officer at a press conference stating in Bengali that over 50 coordinators had resigned and were supporting the Awami League's "lockdown" plan. It also claimed that BNP and Shibir would set buses on fire on November 13 and blame the Awami League.

The same AI-generated video spread on Facebook as Dhaka experienced multiple explosions in November, mostly caused by petrol bombs targeting government-linked buildings, buses, and Christian sites. Since the fall of Hasina's autocratic rule, Bangladesh has seen ongoing political turmoil and violence during election campaigning, affecting its 170 million residents.

Hasina's Awami League had called for a nationwide "lockdown" on November 13, coinciding with the expected verdict in her crimes against humanity trial. She was convicted in absentia on November 17 and sentenced to death. However, there are no official reports that police confirmed any planned arson attacks by political parties or that the Awami League was involved.

A reverse image search of frames from the fake video traced the visuals to a local newspaper report by Jugantor from February 22, 2025. That coverage documented a Tangail District police press conference concerning a robbery and an alleged bus rape case. A local TV station, Somoy TV, also reported on the same press briefing.

The officer in the AI video had a different voice from the real individual. Additional Superintendent Md Robiul Islam told AFP on November 30 that the claims about resigning coordinators or political plots were "entirely false and AI-generated." The Deepfake-o-meter tool from the University at Buffalo confirmed a 100% likelihood that the clip was AI-generated.

AFP continues to verify and debunk misinformation linked to the recent unrest in Bangladesh.

Author: Sophia Brooks