Phuket shop owner shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ at Israeli tourist in viral clip

2026-03-10 - 08:13

PHUKET — A video circulating on social media showing an Israeli tourist being chased away from a shop in Phuket has sparked widespread debate among Thai netizens. The clip was posted on Facebook by a user identified as Thanaphon Pathan and quickly drew attention online. In the video, the male tourist, wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts and believed by some viewers to be Israeli, is seen walking along a roadside in the Ban Bang Ma Lao area of Sakhu subdistrict in Thalang district. As he passes a shop, a man believed to be the shop owner appears to shout at him in Thai, English and another foreign language, ordering him to leave. The shop owner is also heard shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is the Greatest”) in the clip. The tourist then takes out his mobile phone and begins recording while speaking into the device, though it remains unclear whether he was making a call or filming a video for social media. After the clip spread online, it prompted a wave of reactions from internet users, with many questioning what had led to the confrontation and whether either party had acted improperly. The cause of the dispute remains unclear, and there has been no official report confirming what triggered the incident before the tourist was asked to leave the shop.