Does a viral video show men handling real guns outside a mosque in Dublin, Ireland? No, that's not true: Law enforcement denied that the objects were real weapons. The statement issued by the police said that the objects in question were replicas used for a recreational activity.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @TheFlareNews on Aug. 31, 2026. The caption read:
MUSLIMS WITH GUNS AT A MOSQUE IN DUBLIN. 3 Muslim men take guns from the back of a car outside a mosque in Tallaght.
This is what the video shared in the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @TheFlareNews on X.)
The implication was that the objects handled in the video were real firearms.
However, Ireland's National Police -- An Garda Síochána (archived here) -- issued a statement (archived here and here) refuting the claim. It was published on X on Sept. 1, 2026. The statement read:
An Garda Síochána is aware of a video circulating on social media purporting to show an exchange of firearms in Dublin.
An Garda Síochána has established that no illegal firearms were involved in this matter - these were replica (airsoft) guns.
The website of the European Airsoft Federation (archived here) explained further:
Airsoft replicas are not firearms, but they can look realistic.
It continued:
Airsoft replicas are basically toys that are not suitable for military simulation or training.
