Fact check: Man detained in viral video is not an FBI agent

A video going viral on social media amid widespread racial inequality protests in the U.S. carries a caption in many posts that claim it shows a black man who is actually an FBI agent being arrested. The video dates from 2019 and the man in the video is not an FBI agent, according to a fact-check by Reuters.

The posts feature a video of a black man wearing a red t-shirt getting handcuffed by two white police officers. The man questions the actions of the police during the video. A second clip appears to show the moments leading up to the handcuffing, with the same man saying again, “you’re assuming I’m someone I’m not” and claiming the officers are racially profiling him in a case of mistaken identity. In neither video are there audible conclusions or details revealed about the man’s profession. The officers look at the man’s ID inside his wallet during the video.

Various posts on social media concluded the man was secretly an FBI agent. However, the Rochester (MN) Police Department confirmed to Reuters via email that, “Contrary to social media rumours, the individual was not a Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agent.”

The department said: “During the brief detention, identification was located showing he was not the individual the officers knew had a warrant. The individual was immediately released.
“Rochester Police also confirmed that the incident took place on June 1, 2019. A press release from the RPD on the exchange is visible here.

An Instagram user claiming to be the source of the video said that he chose to share the video at this time because the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis had stoked racial tensions around the country. Instagram user @thisisnike1 wrote in a post accompanying the video: “‪Somethin’ been telling me to hold on to this video over a year now, ok.” (here)‬‬‬

The user @thisisnike1, confirmed in an Instagram comment that the claim the man was an undercover FBI agent was a rumour that started on Twitter. Another social media user identified the man in the video as his friend and “not an FBI agent” (below).

VERDICT:
Partly false. The video does show a man wrongfully detained in a case of mistaken identity but the man in the video is not an FBI agent.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

 

 

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING

UPDATE: FG Eases Lockdown, Reopens Banks, Religious Centres, But Schools Remain Closed
Nigeria has moved to the second phase of the ease of lockdown in the effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic as more restrictions have been lifted in the gradual move to fully reopen the economy. The new measures, which will be in place for the next four weeks, include the reopening of places of worship provided…Read full story

Obaseki Presents Re-Election Bid Nomination Form To Buhari
The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has presented his nomination form, seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to President Muhammadu Buhari. The governor stormed the presidential villa, Abuja, on Monday, to see the president, brushing aside the controversy generated by… Read full story

UPDATE: Petrol To Sell At N123/Ltr As PPPRA Reviews Ex-Depot Price
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency(PPPRA) has reviewed the existing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) pump price band between N121.50 and N123.50 per litre for the month of June. It also pegged the ex-depot price band at N102.13 and N104.13/litre, weeks after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation… Read full story

FG Relaxes Ban On Religious Gathering, Curfew Now From 10pm To 4am
The Federal Government on Monday announced the relaxation on the ban on religious gathering in the country from June 1. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 disclosed this during its daily briefing in Abuja, saying this is based on the guidelines and protocols agreed by state governments… Read full story

Nationwide Strike: FG Begins Negotiation With Resident Doctors
The Federal Government on Monday began negotiation with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) with a view to get them to shelve their planned strike as the nation needs their cooperation to successfully battle the COVID-19 pandemic… Read full story

Be More Security Conscious, CAN Tells Churches
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has charged churches to be more security conscious, and also ensure the security of their leaders. CAN said this call became necessary following the recent kidnap of the Chairman, Nasarawa State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Joseph Masin… … Read full story

We Inherited N26bn Unpaid Gratuities Of 6,274 Retirees ― Gov Makinde
Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde on Monday disclosed that his government met unpaid gratuities totalling N26 billion. He made the disclosure in a Facebook post in which he stated that his administration has cleared backlogs of gratuities from 2012 to 2013… Read full story

Immigration Boss Warns Officers Against Surcharging Passport Applicants
The Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr Muhammad Babandede CGI, has warned passport officers that no extra charges are allowed apart from the approved fees by the Federal Government. “Nigerians are not to be surcharged but we must serve them sincerely to gain their confidence,” he said… Read full story

More Than One In Six Young People Out Of Work Due To COVID-19 —ILO
MORE than one in six young people have stopped working since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic while those who remain employed have seen their working hours cut by 23 per cent, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has said… Read full story

7 APC Governors Meet Tinubu Over Obaseki
SEVEN governors elected on the tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met with the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, at the State House, Marina, Lagos, on Sunday, over the fate of the embattled governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki… Read full story

You Must Submit Your Voters Register Ahead Of Primaries, INEC Tells Political Parties
Ahead of Edo and Ondo State governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised political parties to inform the INEC on the mode of primary it wants to adopt and submit the list of its registered members ahead of the exercise… Read full story

EDITORIAL: Nigeria Police And Citizen Olaoluwa Bolarinwa
LIKE the proverbial tortoise that is perennially enmeshed in one controversy or another, the police are once again in the news for the wrong reasons. This time around, some policemen have allegedly tortured one Citizen Olaoluwa Bolarinwa to death for failing to give them satisfactory information about his friend who was… Read full story