Fact check: Video shows 2017 ax attack in Australia, not recent incident in US
The claim: Video shows recent ax attack in US
An April 14 Twitter post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of a woman attacking several people with an ax inside a convenience store.
"Transgender in 7-11 let’s (sic) loose on two customers with an ax. Tell me America doesn’t have a mental health crisis spiraling out of control," reads the post.
The tweet was retweeted more than 2,000 times and shared on Facebook more than 100 times in less than two weeks.
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Our rating: False
The video is miscaptioned. It shows an ax attack carried out in 2017 by a transgender woman in Sydney, Australia.
Ax attack took place at a 7-Eleven in Australia in 2017
A report by the Sydney Morning Herald that includes the video from the post indicates the incident took place shortly after 2 a.m. Jan. 7, 2017, at a 7-Eleven in Sydney.
That report was published Aug. 3, 2018, the same day Evie Amati, then 26, was convicted by a jury of multiple charges related to the attack. The jury was shown security footage of the attack during the three-week trial, according to an earlier report by the Morning Herald.
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Other news outlets have also published articles about the attack that indicate the incident happened in 2017.
Amati was later sentenced to nine years in prison, with a judge saying, "The fact that death did not occur was entirely a matter of good fortune," the BBC reported. That sentence was eventually set aside in favor of a 14-year prison term after prosecutors appealed the initial sentence, arguing it was too lenient, according to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News.
The social media user who shared the post could not be reached for comment.
Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
The Sydney Morning Herald, Aug. 3, 2018, Evie Amati found guilty of wounding with intent to murder over Sydney axe attack
The Sydney Morning Herald, July 10, 2018, 'Dripping axe': Jury shown CCTV footage of Enmore 7-Eleven attack
BBC News, Aug. 3, 2018, Sydney axe attack: Woman guilty of trying to kill strangers
BBC News, Jan. 18, 2019, Sydney axe attacks: Woman jailed for wounding 7-Eleven customers
The Guardian, Aug. 19, 2019, Sydney axe attacker Evie Amati has jail term nearly doubled
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News, Aug. 18, 2019, 7-Eleven axe attacker Evie Amati has jail term increased by five years
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video shows 2017 ax attack in Australia
