Video of Pakistani gun dealer falsely tied to Jamaat leader
A video was spread on social media claiming that militancy has increased in the country since August 5 and that a Jamaat leader is test-firing a machine gun. However, Dismislab’s fact-check found that the video actually shows an arms dealer based in Peshawar, Pakistan, test-firing a firearm.
On September 13, a video was posted from an X handle named “Desperate”. The claim in the post’s caption reads, “Since August 5th, following the militant unrest of July, the country has been transformed into a training ground for terrorists to practice with weaponry; a Jamaat leader is even seen personally test-firing a machine gun.” The 20-second video shows a man in a white cap and white panjabi standing in front of a building with a shutter, firing an automatic rifle. A Jamaat election campaign song plays in the video’s background.
The same video was also spread from a Facebook page named “Mujibiyo Chetona”. The post claimed, “With December approaching, is this what is happening in the country: Pakistani agent NCP and the militant terrorist leaders of the anti-liberation Jamaat-Shibir, who had previously repeatedly spoken of declaring armed war against the country, showing this weapons drill as an expression of that. Are they, then, about to declare war against the country and its people?…”
As of the publication of this report, the video had received more than 1,800 reactions, been shared at least 1,200 times, and been viewed more than 71,000 times.
To verify the claim, Dismislab conducted a reverse image search on keyframes of the video. This led to an exact match with a video uploaded on September 6 on an Instagram account named s9xofficials. The caption read, “Small 223 krinkof”, likely describing the weapon as a .223 caliber rifle. An examination of the account found other videos as well (1, 2, 3) showing firearms being test-fired.
A keyword search found a YouTube channel of the same name, “S9X Official.” The channel’s description read, “Welcome to S9X Official, a professional and educational platform for firearms awareness, technical knowledge-building, and detailed reviews.”
The bio of the Instagram and TikTok accounts of the same name listed a WhatsApp number. The number leads to a WhatsApp Business account under the name “Said Khan,” and the category “Gun Range. The description provided with the account reads, “S9X arms owner: Said Khan (more than 30 years of experience).” It is also stated that they sell weapons only to licensed buyers and listed an address in an industrial area on Kohat Road in Peshawar, Pakistan.
A relevant keyword search led to a Facebook and an Instagram account under the name Said Khan. Both accounts provide the same information as the WhatsApp account.
Dismislab contacted Said Khan. He said he lives in Peshawar, Pakistan, and runs his own arms trading company and provided various forms of identification documents. Asked about the videos, he said, “We make these videos to fire-test the guns, to check them. Every company does this. We are doing it legally. Our company is licensed.”
A video about his company was uploaded on October 29, 2024, to a YouTube channel named “Bullet Scope,” titled “Visit the Weapons manufacturing company of meet up with Said Khan (Saeed Khan).” The video’s description referred to Said Khan as a well-known arms manufacturer, noting that he is known for his craftsmanship and innovative designs.
In other words, the video circulated with the claim that a Jamaat leader was test-firing a machine gun is, in fact, a video of an arms dealer based in Peshawar, Pakistan, test-firing a firearm, and has no connection to Bangladesh.
