Surprise missile attack:- A video of an explosion has been repeatedly shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows London being hit by a missile in September. 

But the claim is false. The clip shows a planned explosion on a film set in London, not a missile attack. 

The video was shared on Douyin, a Chinese version of TikTok, on Sept. 5. 

The 10-second video captures a building engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing out.

“The footage shows the aftermath of a surprise missile attack against London in the early morning of Sept. 1 – first such air attack against the U.K in 80 years,” the claim reads. 

Many online users connected the claim of a missile attack in London to  the Russian-Ukrainian war, sparking fears that it could herald World War III.

According to a 2022 report by The Independent, Andrey Gurulyov, a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, stated on Russian state television that London would be the first NATO strategic target for Russian missiles if a conflict between NATO and Russia broke out.

In May 2023, the U.K. confirmed it would supply Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces "in Ukraine."

A July report by the Chinese edition of Russia’s state-run media, Sputnik, cited the Kremlin criticizing the British decision as irresponsible.

But the claim about the missile attack in London is false. 

A film set

A combined keyword search and reverse image search found the same clip shared in media reports, including the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and The Sun, and the BBC. 

“A HUGE fire has erupted near The O2 after a planned explosion at a film set ‘spread out of control’ and sent black smoke into the sky,” The Sun reported on Aug. 31. 

The O2 is a multi-purpose indoor arena in southeast London.

“The controlled explosion was right on the river’s edge at a Silvertown commercial site with locals nearby catching it on video and hearing loud cracks,” The Sun reported. RFA/SP