WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Footage shows an attempted arson attack on a mosque in the Netherlands.
OUR VERDICT
False. The footage shows an arson attack on a house in South Australia.
AAP FACTCHECK - CCTV footage of a bungled arson attempt in South Australia is being misrepresented in claims it depicts an attack on a European mosque.
The false claim appears in an X post from July 23, 2025, with the caption: "In Netherlands, a group of Men attempted to burn down a Mosque at night, and Allah responded swiftly…"
In the clip, a figure dressed in black steps out of a car alongside a fence and appears to douse the area in a liquid.
The person then gets back in the car but as it drives away it becomes engulfed in flames and its occupants scramble to escape.
The claim is also being shared on Facebook and Instagram.
A reverse image search, however, shows the footage depicts a failed arson attack in Port Pirie, South Australia, in June 2025.
The security camera footage was released by South Australia Police and shows the three suspects arriving at a home on Young Street, according to a Seven News article.
Occupants of the house were uninjured, but the exterior of the home was damaged by flames, South Australia Police said in a statement on Facebook.
A search of Young St on Google Maps reveals it's a residential area and not the location of a mosque.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
