no, TikTok video does not show ‘nuclear attack on Brussels’
A viral video on TikTok shows a cloud of smoke over Brussels. According to an inscription it would be a “nuclear attack”. Quite a few people believe that. However, a nuclear bomb has never been dropped on Brussels. The smoke plume may have come from a power plant in Drogenbos.
This fact check is performed based on the information available on the date of publication. Read more about how we work here.
On October 3, someone will post a video on TikTok (here archived) with French caption ‘nuclear attack Brussels’. A white plume of smoke appears from a car. We hear a blaring siren and nuclear logos flickering red and yellow below the image. The video has been shared 120 times and has already been viewed 41,700 times.
Many people react to the images with smiling emojis, others find it inappropriate and a few claim it is real or applaud it. The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to launch nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine makes a nuclear attack more of the concern. Pranksters can respond to bets with very simple videos produced on social media.
It is now abundantly clear that there has been no nuclear attack on the capital of Europe. But at the time the video was posted, not everyone was sure, according to the comments. Unnecessary panic reactions arise not excluded.
However, the video already contains a first indication that it is not a real attack. That the wailing siren is not part of the original video is clearly indicated (green frame). The musical notes next to ‘Wow. Siren Alarm A (High) – FERTILIZER SOUND’ indicate that the sound effect was added to the images.
Where were these images shot? And what do we see?
We upload a screenshot of the video in Google Lens and zoom in on the sequel monument. According to the search engine, that monument would be located at the Porte de Namur (purple frame), a place along the Brussels inner ring at the height of the Naamsestraat and the Elsensesteenweg.
If we die location in Google Street View (left) with the TikTok video (right), then the monument (purple frames), a building in the background (green frames) and a lamppost (yellow frames) are similar. The video was actually recorded at the Porte de Namur.
We contacted the Brussels fire brigade and recently asked them in that area to put out a brand that could explain the plume of smoke. Fire department spokesman Walter Derieu suspects that it is not a matter of color: ‘It is a white plume of smoke, a plume of smoke from a brand is dark in colour.’
If we don’t see a brand, what will? In the comments below the video someone that we will see Engie’s gas plant in Drogenbos.
Is that correct?
To check this, on the TikTok video we draw a perpendicular from the monument through a building in the background to the plume of smoke (yellow line on the right). We draw that same line on Google Earth satellite images (left) to find where the smoke plume might come from. At the red arrow we do indeed arrive at the Engie gas plant in Drogenbos.
If we zoom in on that spot, we clearly see the presence of a cooling tower.
on various archive images of this power station we see white tower rising on that spot.
On the website of engie we read that the gas turbine was made in 1976. Today she serves as a reserve unit. According to Engie the power station contains gas and exhaust gases containing ‘CO2, water vapor and very small amounts of nitrogen oxides’. Only water vapor comes out of the cooling tower: ‘the heated air leaves the cooling tower in the form of a white water vapor plume’.
conclusion
A video on TikTok shows no ‘nuclear attack’ on ‘Brussels’. The video was recorded at the Porte de Namur in Brussels, but it certainly does not show a nuclear attack. We may see a plume of smoke from a power plant in Drogenbos in the images. We therefore rate the caption on the video as false.
Sources
In the article you will find links to all the resources used. In addition, the following people were contacted for this fact check:
Mail conversation met Walter Derieuw on October 11, 2022
All sources were collected on October 14, 2022.