Bihar man arrested over AI-generated Vidhana Soudha bomb blast video

Hyderabad: A 25-year-old migrant worker from Bihar has been arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly creating and sharing an AI-generated video showing a bomb explosion at Karnataka’s Vidhana Soudha, police said.

The accused, Hazrat Ali Shoiab, hails from Araria district in Bihar and has been working as a daily-wage pipe-fitter in Bengaluru for the past few months.

The video came to light on Tuesday morning after it was uploaded to an Instagram account named ‘jnxkingh_g’. It begins with footage of the exterior of Vidhana Soudha before transitioning to AI-generated visuals depicting a massive explosion inside the building.

In the video, Ali appears to point a pistol towards the assembly building while saying, “Vidhanasabha uda diya bam se” (Blew up assembly with a bomb).

Following the post, Vidhana Soudha police registered a first information report (FIR) and examined the account’s internet protocol (IP) logs and digital footprints to trace the person behind it. The investigation led police to Ali, who was subsequently arrested.

Officials are questioning the accused to establish why he created and posted the video. Police are also investigating whether anyone else helped him generate or edit the AI footage.