Satirical
Pages on social media platforms — particularly Ammar Al-Halfi’s Facebook page — shared an image along with the following headline (unedited): “Breaking: Construction worker arrested with 800 million dinars.” The post was then picked up by unknown pages in various contexts and presented as a real incident, gaining massive engagement.
Screenshot of Ammar Al-Halfi’s Facebook post
Investigation
After verification by the The Checker team, it was confirmed that the story is satirical. Activist Ammar Al-Halfi posted it on his Facebook page on April 22 in a humorous context. However, other pages reshared it as if it were a true story, altering the context to turn it into a misleading claim — suggesting the image shows the arrest of a beggar in Saad Square, Basra, allegedly found with 550 million dinars. This claim is entirely false.
The real context traces back to a charity campaign organized by Al-Halfi in Basra to collect donations for a young man named Ahmed, who suffers from kidney failure and needs medical treatment. The image shared was taken during a gathering where Al-Halfi and his friends celebrated the successful conclusion of the campaign, which raised 53 million Iraqi dinars.
Al-Halfi also posted a video on his Facebook page documenting the completion of the fundraising campaign, thanking all those who contributed to helping the young man from Basra.
Ammar Al-Halfi is a civil activist from Basra, southern Iraq. His content on Facebook blends satire, anti-corruption commentary, and humanitarian appeals. He is known for his catchphrase: #These_Are_Successful_Projects (#هاي_المشاريع_الناجحة).
The Checker stresses the importance of verifying the true context of news before sharing, as manipulating context can often lead to serious consequences for those involved — including physical harm, psychological distress, or legal repercussions.
Verification links: Link1 – Link2
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