Internet confuses Sikh man with Paris terrorist after photoshopped image goes viral

A photoshopped image of a Sikh man wearing a suicide bomb vest and holding the Holy Quran took social media by storm on Saturday as people mistook him as one of the Paris attackers.

A wave of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris Friday night claimed by the Islamic State (IS) left 129 dead and scores others injured. Amid all the fear and chaos which gripped the city, an image of a Sikh man stared doing the rounds on social media a day after the attack with many accusing him of being one of the attackers in the Paris massacres.



This tweet has been deleted / Via Twitter: @abutalut8

The image was also shared on one of the largest, though unofficial, pro-IS channels on Telegram, the same app that the extremist group used to take credit for the attacks in Paris.

PHOTO: BuzzFeed News / Khilafah News / Telegram

On closer examination, however, many social media users began to realize that the image was photoshopped as it contained many features which are not likely for a member of Islamic State group to possess.



https://twitter.com/grasswirefacts/status/665633389362282496

PHOTO: BuzzFeed News

The man himself, Veerender Jubbal, a Canadian tweeted the original bathroom selfie and added that he had never been to Paris.

Ready: pic.twitter.com/ae9xEej4gS

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) August 4, 2015

People are editing, and photoshopping my selfies as if I am one of the people causing the issues/problems in Paris.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 14, 2015

Has spread to the point, where many people have had to tweet about the photos being photoshopped..

Any support/nice messages are welcome.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 14, 2015

You can all check the last retweets.

Let us start with basics.

Never been to Paris.

Am a Sikh dude with a turban.

Lives in Canada.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 14, 2015

According to him, the fake image was released by the supporters of GamerGate, a controversial online movement, which he had been fighting with on the internet for a year.

Gamers are absolute garbage like I have been saying for a full year.

People will not stop harassing, and bothering me.

I am cute as gosh.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 14, 2015

Undaunted by all the negative attention, Jubbal tweeted on Saturday night that he remains valuable and rad.

Learn the difference between me being a Sikh, and a Muslim.

Cry in mug, while I use your tears to water my garden.

I am valuable, and rad.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 14, 2015

However, to Jubbal’s dismay, some media outlets early on Sunday morning began sharing photos of him, with even one of the largest papers in Spain publishing his photo on the front page.

Lo primero, como cada día, nuestra portada https://t.co/RNwPb8iyI9 pic.twitter.com/WW6vQrQnOs

— La Razón (@larazon_es) November 15, 2015

The Italian television channel TG24 also tweeted Jubbal’s image to its 1.98 million followers.



https://twitter.com/SkyTG24/status/665627398138929152

Further, the photoshopped picture also became a part of a segment on the channel’s website.

Photo via imgur.com

European media outlets were not the only feature Jubbal’s image, their Asian counterpoints soon caught on.

Well, just got a phone call from a cousin in India, and they know about it; and saw the whole thing in India Times.

We might sue, I guess.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 15, 2015

I hope everyone has caught up with what is going on with me.

I went viral due to a photoshopped image claiming I am a terrorist.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 15, 2015

In gauging this entire incident--millions upon millions of people have seen the photoshopped images, and have placed me as a terrorist.

— Veerender Singh Jubbal (@Veeren_Jubbal) November 15, 2015

Many people have since tweeted in Jubbal's support.



https://twitter.com/caryl_shaw/status/666010229373407232

https://twitter.com/KhalSir/status/666015670241333249

https://twitter.com/grmartin/status/666014929451896832

https://twitter.com/AmyStephen/status/665957251585343488

https://twitter.com/webjournalist/status/666011355732799488

.@Veeren_Jubbal is being falsely depicted as a #ParisAttacks terrorist thru a toxic mix of maliciousness, thoughtlessness & editorial #fail.

— Staci D Kramer (@sdkstl) November 15, 2015

https://twitter.com/Jollyrogers99/status/665961415308521472