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| - FACT CHECK: Did The FBI And Department of Education Suggest Closing Schools Amid Shooting Risks During Election?
A video posted to X claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned American schools to close due to a heightened risk of shootings during the election.
Verdict: False
The video was posted by an account that has since been suspended from X. The FBI has stated it is not true.
Fact Check:
A post shared to X on Nov. 5, Election Day, appears to be a warning from the FBI that schools should close their doors for the week amid potential threats of violence.
The post’s caption, according to a screenshot and copy of the post archived by Lead Stories, reads: “The FBI, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education, is recommending that schools suspend classes until Nov. 11.” The post included a QR code with the word “vérifié,” which is French for “verified.”
This claim is false. In a Nov. 5 statement, the FBI addressed “three instances” of which it was informed of the agency’s “name and insignia being misused to promote false narratives surrounding the election” and “designed to mislead the American public.”
The release described the video about school closures amid shooting risks as “not authentic,” confirming that its “contents are false.” Additionally, though the Department of Education has not released a statement on the matter, there is no announcement from the agency that indicates the video has any truth to it. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show Harris Supporters Beating Up Trump Supporter In Wisconsin)
Furthermore, Lead Stories noted that this image represents the French government’s cybersecurity organization, VIGINUM, which addresses “foreign digital interference.” The outlet also pointed to the post’s similarity to other disinformation efforts from Storm-1516. The account has since been suspended.
One Nov. 5 article from Axios relates to the claim only in its reporting that some schools decided not to be used as polling places on Election Day, citing safety concerns. However, there was no mention in that report that schools would close on any national level due to heightened risks of riots or shootings.
On Oct. 25, CNN reported that American agencies had identified the known Russian disinformation campaign called Storm-1516 as crafting a video of someone destroying ballots in Pennsylvania. US officials also linked the group to another fake video depicting voter fraud in Georgia, per a Nov. 1 report from CBS News.
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