No evidence of cyberattack in Baltimore ship collision, officials say | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read

The claim: Cyberattack caused ship to crash into Francis Scott Key Bridge

A March 26 post (direct link, archive link) shared on X, formerly Twitter, by influencer Andrew Tate claims to know the reason a cargo ship struck a Baltimore bridge.

"This ship was cyber-attacked," reads Tate's post. "Lights go off and it deliberately steers towards the bridge supports. Foreign agents of the USA attack digital infrastructures. Nothing is safe."

Similar versions of the claim accumulated thousands of interactions on Instagram and Facebook.

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Our rating: False

There is no evidence the crash was the result of an attack, cyber or otherwise, according to authorities. The ship lost power and propulsion prior to crashing into the Baltimore bridge.

Officials say no evidence ship collision involved intention, terrorism

Six construction workers are presumed dead after the container ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. Authorities say the cargo ship suffered a complete power blackout as it approached the bridge, with its lights blinking out as it endured a "complete loss" of propulsion.

Though the cause of the ship's power outage is still being investigated, authorities confirmed there's no evidence the tragedy was a result of terrorism.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Myorkas shared a post on X the day of crash detailing the U.S. Coast Guard's ongoing search and rescue efforts. In his post, he said, "There are no indications this was an intentional act."

The FBI's Baltimore office reiterated this sentiment on X, saying, "There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time."

President Joe Biden delivered remarks on the situation later that morning, saying all evidence pointed toward the crash being "a terrible accident" and not an intentional act. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said something similar at a March 26 press conference.

Tate and his brother were indicted by Romanian officials in June 2023 on charges of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women. The two were released from house arrest in August 2023 while awaiting trial but were detained in Romania on a British arrest warrant on March 11. Both face the possibility of extradition to the U.K.

USA TODAY reached out to Tate's team but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No proof of 'cyberattack' on Baltimore cargo ship | Fact check