No evidence of AI found in Amir Hamza audio; 118 videos target Rashed Khan in four days

No evidence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology being used has been found in the audio of conversations circulated on social media in the name of Mufti Amir Hamza, member of parliament for Kushtia-3. The fact-checking organisation The Dissent reached this conclusion after testing the audios through multiple online tools.

The organisation said it tried to collect statements from the people concerned and other evidence, along with the technical tests, to verify the authenticity of the audios circulated in Amir Hamza's name. However, it was not possible to contact Amir Hamza and those close to him. As a result, it could not be confirmed who the conversations were with and in what context they took place.

On 6 November, Rashed Khan, political assistant to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, claimed in a Facebook post that audio and video of Amir Hamza's alleged woman-related conversations exist. In the post he said he had fact-checked the material and found it to be true.

In the audio said to have been leaked, a man (in Amir Hamza's voice) is heard apologising, expressing regret, and asking forgiveness from the people concerned. In the conversation, the man is heard saying: I have no anger, resentment or hurt towards you at all. Whatever happened, whether by the deception of Satan or the trap of the self, I myself am remorseful after it happened.

The audio also has him saying: the matter blew up completely, it got tangled up. Even after I apologised and begged forgiveness so many times, you said it is under control, nothing will happen to me, you will suffer no harm from me. Where this will end now, no one knows.

Meanwhile, on 6 November, Amir Hamza spoke at a waz mahfil at Hazradighi Uttarpara in Nungola union of Bogura. There, alleging damage to his honour, he said the statements circulated against him have nothing to do with him. He blamed India and related persons behind the incident and expressed anger.

At that mahfil, Amir Hamza did not directly say that the audios circulated in his name were made or edited with AI. Centred on a part of his speech, claims were later made on social media and some online portals that the audio-videos were made with AI.

The fact-checking organisation The Dissent said in a report that it tested the audios with multiple online tools and found no evidence of AI technology being used. However, this technical test result does not confirm the actual source of the audios or the context of the conversations.

After the alleged audio in Amir Hamza's name was published, a massive negative campaign targeting Rashed Khan began on social media. At least 118 negative videos about him have been published in the last four days.

Various false and abusive coordinated campaigns are targeting Rashed Khan on social media from accounts supporting Jamaat-Shibir. The Dissent searched for 'Rashed Khan', 'Amir Hamza' and some distorted words used around Rashed Khan, and found at least 118 videos published in the last four days.

In these videos, Rashed Khan has been addressed by distorted names, labelled anti-religion, subjected to personal attacks targeting him and his family, and targeted with AI-generated objectionable images and fake audios in his name.

A man named M Atikur Rahman regularly creates content on Facebook in support of Jamaat-Shibir. He has made six videos about Rashed Khan in the last three days. In the videos, he has called Rashed Khan a bastard, a scoundrel's child, a sycophant, anti-Islam, a beast, and of illegitimate birth.

Another account, Farukuzzaman Farukuzzaman, published seven videos about Rashed Khan in the last three days from a page with 460,000 followers. In one video, he shared a fake photocard in the name of the media outlet RTV, claiming that Rashed Khan was caught in an illicit relationship with the wife of Tarique of the Am Janata Party and fled. In the video, he attacked Rashed in obscene language. In other videos, he addressed Rashed Khan as 'blind Rashed' and 'sycophant Rashed', and edited Rashed Khan's photo into the shape of a dog and published it online.

From another account named Abu Yousuf, a fake photocard was created in the name of the media outlet Bangla Vision, claiming that Rashed Khan is in contact with Sajeeb Wazed Joy, that this has been reported in an Indian newspaper, and that Rashed Khan is a RAW spy.

From a page named Alomgir Pulse+, with more than one million followers, an AI-generated audio was circulated claiming that Rashed Khan himself is now caught. It was claimed that one of his audio calls has leaked, in which he himself admits that he fabricated Amir Hamza's call records and circulated them.

In a fake audio in Rashed Khan's name, he is heard saying: Sir, you did not even thank me once for making Amir Hamza's fake call viral. I have sent my account number on WhatsApp. You will have to pay exactly the amount that was agreed. A fake audio claiming that money was demanded for circulating Amir Hamza's fake audio was also circulated from an account named Md Nur Mohammad.

From an account named MD Anwar Hossen, a fake video was circulated claiming that Rashed Khan has been expelled from the BNP. From another ID named Raju Vai 2.0, a different woman's voice was circulated claiming that Rashed Khan's link has gone viral. Another account named Rubel Vai 02 circulated a video made with AI, adding a photo of Rashed Khan with another woman, claiming he was caught with her.

A verification by Rumor Scanner found that the photo circulated claiming Rashed Khan was arrested on an allegation of an extramarital affair is not real. In fact, an old photo from a 2022 incident, when Chhatra League activists allegedly attacked Rashed Khan, was used, and a woman's presence was added to it with the help of AI technology. This edited photo is now being circulated as a recent photo of Rashed Khan being arrested with a girlfriend.

From another account named Probashi 0.2, a fake RTV photocard was circulated claiming that Rashed Khan was caught with 'Am Tariq's' wife. From an account named Mohammod Alom.0, a video claimed that Rashed Khan made Mufti Amir Hamza's voice with AI because Mufti Amir Hamza stopped their extortion. From another page named Comedy Bazzar, a waz-style speech targeted Rashed Khan with objectionable words.