The Dubai Civil Defence clarified that the viral video of a man on fire, which many claimed to have happened inside Dubai Mall, is fake.
Major-General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, director-general of the Dubai Civil Defence, said that no incident of a man on fire was recorded in Dubai Mall or any place in the UAE during the Ramadan season.
“Shopping centers and commercial complexes [in the UAE] did not record any incident in the month of Ramadan,” Al Matroushi said.
The 58-second-video showed the a man on fire as shoppers and mall staff desperately sought fire extinguishers to put out the flames.
In an article published in Morocco World News, the man was caught shoplifting in Agadir, Morocco and was forced to pay for the products. He then returned to the mall and decided to set himself on fire.
The man was rushed to Hassan II Hospital after suffering second and third degree burns.
Meanwhile, Al Matroushi called on the public to avoid spreading unverified news to avoid legal accountability.
Sharing of unverified information could lead to imprisonment and a fine of up to Dh250,000.