Former German national team footballer Mesut Ozil arrived in Bangladesh on February 18. Later, on February 19, he visited the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. A claim has spread on the internet stating that Mesut Ozil met with an accident on his way back from there.
See some posts circulated on Facebook: here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive).
See some posts circulated on Instagram: here (Archive), here (Archive).
Fact Check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation reveals that Mesut Ozil did not meet with an accident on his way back from the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar; rather, a motorized auto-rickshaw collided with one of the vehicles in his convoy.
During the investigation, a report published on the Dhaka Post website on February 19 titled “Ozil’s convoy involved in an accident on the way back from the Rohingya camp” was found. From the said report, it is known that around 7 pm on February 19, the vehicle convoy carrying former German football star Mesut Ozil and Turkish President’s son Necmettin Bilal Erdogan met with an accident on the way back after visiting the Rohingya camp in the Kutupalong area of Ukhiya on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf road. Although neither Ozil nor anyone from the delegation was injured in this incident, it is known that a motorized auto-rickshaw was mangled after colliding with a vehicle in the convoy, and its driver was injured.
From a report published on the Times of Bangladesh website on the same date, it is known that Saiful Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ukhiya Shahpori Dwip Highway Police Station, confirmed the matter and said, ‘On the way back from the Rohingya camp, an auto-rickshaw suddenly entered the convoy of footballer Mesut Ozil and Turkish President’s son Necmettin Bilal Erdogan, breaking the VIP protocol. At that time, the auto-rickshaw collided with one of the vehicles in the convoy. The auto-rickshaw has been seized’.
News outlets have published reports with the same information– Jamuna TV, Daily Star, Prothom Alo.
That is, it was not Mesut Ozil, but rather an auto-rickshaw that collided with one of the vehicles in his convoy.
Therefore, the claim that Mesut Ozil met with an accident on his way back from the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp is misleading.
Sources
- ToB- Mesut Ozil’s convoy falls victim to an accident on the way back from the Rohingya camp
- Jamuna Television- Ozil’s convoy falls victim to an accident on the way back from Cox’s Bazar
- Daily Star- Ozil-Bilal Erdogan’s convoy falls victim to an accident in Cox’s Bazar, everyone unharmed
- Prothom Alo- Convoy in an accident on the way back from Ukhiya refugee camp, Ozil-Bilal Erdogan unharmed
- Dhaka Post- Ozil’s convoy involved in an accident on the way back from the Rohingya camp