Fact Check: Is the video claiming to show Kash Patel dancing from his leaked email real?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the recent reports claiming that Iran-linked hackers breached FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email accounts and published photos and documents online, a video began circulating online claiming to show Patel in a private dance, sparking speculation about its authenticity. Let us analyze the clip and fact-check it.
Claim: Viral clip claims to show Kash Patel's private dance
The viral video shows a man dancing enthusiastically to a Hindi song in the background. The video is spread with the claim that it is part of leaked data from Patel's hacked email account and is presented as an embarrassing video of the FBI Director.
The video, which has spread across multiple social media platforms, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, has garnered millions of views, with many sceptical of its authenticity and questioning whether the person in the video is actually Patel.
Fact Check: The video is unrelated to recent leaks
The clip, however, is not part of the alleged leaked data, as a reverse image search led to a report published by Times Now on December 26, 2022, featuring the same clip.
According to the report, the video shows a man celebrating as his wife leaves for her parental home for a few days.
The video had garnered significant views at the time and was also reported by News18, confirming its circulation that year.
However, the identity of the person in the video could not be independently verified.
Iran-linked hackers claim breach of Kash Patel's personal data
The FBI is reeling from a massive security breach after a pro-Iranian hacktivist group, Handala, claimed to have infiltrated the personal and confidential files of Patel on Friday, March 27.
In what is being characterized as the most significant cyber-retaliation of the month-old war, the group has purportedly leaked a trove of Patel’s private communications, internal documents, and sensitive personal data.
While the FBI has yet to issue an official statement, a Department of Justice source has already confirmed to Reuters that Patel’s personal email was indeed breached.
Handala, which independent threat intelligence firms such as Check Point and SOCRadar have linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), released several 'proof' images online, including photos of Patel in a personal capacity - smoking cigars and standing near vehicles with Cuban license plates, alongside a zip file allegedly containing 50 terabytes of stolen data.
