Police have issued a warning about spreading misinformation online after Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson wrongly claimed a 12-year-old girl was at risk of being assaulted by migrants.
Footage filmed on Saturday in Dundee shows a young girl confronting a couple, who police say are Bulgarian. In the video, the girl can be seen holding an axe and a knife, shouting “get the f*** away from us”.
She has since been charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (Twitter) and Tesla, shared a post on his social media platform about the incident to his 225 million followers. The post claimed the teen had been recorded on camera by “a migrant” and that she and other youngsters in the video were at risk of sexual assault.
Tommy Robinson, a prominent far-right activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also posted about the incident to his 1.4 million followers on X.
He repeated the unverified allegation that the youngsters were being “filmed by a migrant” and claimed it was “very concerning”.
It is understood that police have not found evidence to support these allegations. No one else has been arrested or is wanted in connection with the incident.
Chief Superintendent Nicola Russell, who is responsible for Police Scotland’s Tayside division, issued a statement on Wednesday.
She said: “We are aware of misinformation being shared on social media in relation to an incident where a Bulgarian couple were approached by youths in St Ann Lane, Dundee, on Saturday 23 August 2025.
“A 12-year-old girl has been charged with being in possession of offensive weapons. She will be referred to the relevant authorities and our inquiries are ongoing.
“We would like to thank the local community for their help with our investigation and would urge the public not to share misinformation about this incident or speculate on the circumstances.”
It comes after a row between politicians and police over revealing suspects’ ethnicity.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said police should routinely reveal the nationality and asylum status of criminal suspects. She said she is working with the College of Policing to develop new guidance to promote transparency.
