Social media users have been left both shocked and confused over a new claim being made lately that of the arrest of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's brother Alexandre Trudeau over sex crimes. Earlier this week a claim started doing the rounds on social media that Trudeau's brother Alexandre was arrested in Montreal on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and drug possession.
However, the claim is completely false and no such arrest has been made. In fact, no such charges have been brought against Alexandre as he is nowhere related top anything like child abuse, drugs or pornography.
Internet's Unlucky Target
According to the claim, Alexandre was arrested last week in Montreal on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor, possession of child pornography and possession of drugs.The claim was first made by a Conservative Beaver on August 25. Initially it went unnoticed by a day later the post became viral after it made its way to Facebook.
"The brother of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and possession of child pornography, among other charges," the caption the August 26 Facebook post read.
Soon it became viral with many posting the same news. While many were shocked, several people started to find out the authenticity of the post. Many were completely confused.
Truth is that Trudeau's brother Alexandre wasn't arrested for sex with a minor or for possession of drugs and child pornography. The claim is completely false and has been confirmed by Montreal police, who have called it fake news.
What's the Truth?
The post initially looked real as it Conservative Beaver presented the article as 'Beaver Exclusive' and claimed that Montreal Police Service (SPVM) had released a statement related to Alexandre Trudeau's arrest and said that he has been taken into custody and that he is "facing charges of sexual misconduct with a minor, 'among other charges including possession of child pornography and small quantity of crystal meth.'"
However, the entire story was made up. "The SPVM has no record of the individual in question," a spokeswoman for the SPVM told AFP. Moreover, "we have never been contacted by the Conservative Beaver, which seems to have published this rumor," she added.
In fact, those who know about Conservative Beaver, it's a website known to propagate false news. The website makes strange claims that have no authenticity. Later this post too was removed but screenshots of the false headline continue to circulate on social media.
That said, this is not the first time the website has tried to tarnish the image of a public figure. It had earlier done so with Barrack Obama, the Pope and the husband of Toronto public health official Eileen de Villa.
