Claim: Bol News journalist Sami Abraham posted a photo to Twitter of a Toyota Hilux Vigo parked outside his office, stating that the car had been there all night. Abraham appeared to be suggesting that a suspicious vehicle was monitoring Bol’s office. Twitter user Misal Orakzai shared the tweet, claiming that the car belonged to Soch Fact Check journalist Nizam Salarzai. Many believed Orakzai’s statement to be true.
Fact: Orakzai’s post claiming the car belonged to Salarzai was intended to be sarcastic. The car does not in fact belong to Salarzai, who has personally denied the claim.
Fact or Fiction?
On 23 May, 2022, Bol News journalist Sami Abraham posted a photo to Twitter of a Toyota Hilux Vigo parked outside his office, stating that the car had been there all night, but that he was safe. Abraham appeared to be suggesting that a suspicious vehicle was monitoring Bol’s office. Twitter user Misal Orakzai shared the tweet, claiming that the car belonged to Soch Fact Check journalist Nizam Salarzai and Abraham should not worry.
Many believed Orakzai’s statement to be true. Orakzai’s post was reshared on Twitter and Facebook, and a screenshot of it even appeared in a YouTube video uploaded by journalist Syed Talat Hussain on 23 May 2022 (see the 04:50 mark). Salarzai told Soch Fact Check that a number of journalists had contacted him for verification.
In a 23 May tweet, Salarzai wrote, “…people actually think it’s my Vigo”. In another tweet posted the same day, Salarzai clarified that the Vigo is not his and that he has never been to the Bol offices.
Salarzai also confirmed personally to Soch Fact Check that the car does not belong to him.
Conclusion: The Vigo car parked outside a Bol News office in the viral image shared by Sami Abraham does not belong to journalist Nizam Salarzai. The tweet claiming as such was intended to be sarcastic.