The rumors came after an old news clipping was circulated Qatar prosecutes people for spreading falsehoods DUBAI: The Qatari government has warned legal action will be taken against people for spreading false information, after rumors of an earthquake appeared on social media. Claims of the suspected earthquake in Qatar were dismissed as misinformation by the Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) on Thursday after people shared an old news clipping on social media. According to the QMD, the news clipping was a report from several years ago about a previous incident. “No truth to the rumors circulating regarding an earthquake in Qatar, we ask everyone please follow the news and information from official sources and our social media accounts,” the QMD was quoted as saying by local press. The Ministry of Public Health previously called on people to avoid sharing fake news, and instead trust information only from official sources. And the Ministry of Interior (MoI) warned that action had already been taken against “a number of people” for spreading false claims, adding that such actions were a “serious offence that can expose one to legal accountability.”