A HOAX NEWS article claiming British graffiti artist Banksy had been arrested and identified by police has managed to fool hundreds of people online.
An article on the US website National Report alleged that the street artist had been arrested in London in the early hours of this morning.
It said Banksy was ‘identified’ by police as 35-year-old Paul Horner from Liverpool after a ’24-hour Anti-Graffiti Task Force’ monitored his movements.
People were immediately shocked and indignant at the unmasking of the great artist Banksy.
The whole arrest has been revealed as a hoax, thanks to a few telling details – firstly, and probably most importantly, the National Report is a satirical website and all articles on it are fictional.
Secondly, the exact same thing happened in February of last year. This hoax also named Banksy ‘Paul Horner’, though it was claimed he was 39 and from Bristol.
Thirdly, ‘Paul Horner’ is actually a real person – a web designer living in Phoenix, Arizona, who has been involved in several online pranks in the past.
Banksy is still unidentified. He will continue to make art. We can stop worrying.
