Russia's brought a lot of changes to Syria and plenty of gems online so far. But the one from Egyptian TV anchor Ahmed Moussa this week just might take the cake.
During a Sunday airing of his show on Sada el Balad channel, Moussa jumped on the same topic the rest of the region's spent the last few weeks talking about—Russian strikes in Syria, which began earlier this month.
"Russia does not play around. America was just playing, it wasn't trying to hit Daesh [the Islamic State]. If anything, they were patting Daesh on the back, funding and arming them," Moussa quipped about the clip. "The Russians did it. Yes, this is the Russian army, this is Russian weaponry, this is [Vladimir] Putin. Yes, they are countering terrorism, truly countering it. Now you will see a terrifying video, terrifying."
The broadcaster was hoping to show the might of these strikes and their apparent superiority over those coming from the US-led coalition. But there was one tiny problem: while the grayscale explosions and blotchy trees playing out behind Moussa was footage from a Russian company, it happened be to one that makes video games.
News website Egyptian Streets later identified the clip as one not as a scene from Russian airstrikes in Syria, but from a video game called Apache Air Assault, manufactured by Russia's Gaijin Entertainment and released back in 2010. Details, details. Here's a clip of the video game.
This isn't he first time the Moussa's made a live blunder. The broadcaster has a long history of inattention to those pesky things called facts. He's been brought up on libel charges in Egypt at least a few times before, including a case earlier this year when Nasr City Misdemeanor Court sentenced him to two years in jail and $2,500 fine, though another court later overturned the decision.
Unsurprisingly, the gaffe made for a pretty entertaining backlash on social media. Have a look at the original clip (footage starts around 3:14) and the Twitter gems below.
@deenahsn @basildabh Ahmed Moussa shows shocking footage of barrell bombs in Syria. pic.twitter.com/zB5AuSwh5h
— Andrew Reid (@spicksandspecks) October 12, 2015
Tonight Ahmed Moussa will air a report on Cairo traffic pic.twitter.com/D167csZ5i9
— Basil El-Dabh الضبع (@basildabh) October 12, 2015
فريق اعداد برنامج احمد موسى وهما بيجهزوا الحلقة pic.twitter.com/04f3V0I9yI
— إسلام جاويش (@islamgawish) October 12, 2015
Ahmed Moussa's program crew preparing the next episode.
وحدة التحكم الروسي للدفاع الجوي حسب تقارير #أحمد_موسي pic.twitter.com/p5aaifxWoh
— SHaKi (@shakidol) October 12, 2015
The new Russian air force control unit, according to Moussa’s reports.
