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Donald Trump had allegedly been hit by a bullet, the BBC said
BBC Northampton tweeted: "Breaking News: President Trump is injured in arm by gunfire. #Inauguration."
Social media users picked up the apparant world exclusive quickly, with many saying they were shocked by the news.
However others showed their disbelief having watched the historic swearing-in ceremony of the new US President in Washington DC on Friday afternoon.
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The BBC caused alarm by saying Donald Trump had been shot
Twitter•New York City Alerts
BBC Northampton were forced to tweet an apology
At 11.51am today, the East Midlands broadcaster had to quickly release a statement saying their Twitter account had been hacked as they apologised for any alarm caused.
Confused Twitter users questioned the tweet, with one asking: "Are you sure?"
Donald Trump becomes 45th U.S. PRESIDENT
Fri, January 20, 2017
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States will mark the commencement of the four-year term of Donald Trump as President and Mike Pence as Vice President. A public ceremony will be held on Friday, January 20, 2017, on the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
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US President Donald Trump points to the stands as he walks with his wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade.
Another said: "Guessing you've been hacked? Not seen this ANYWHERE else!"
After a short period of confusion, the tweet was deleted and a clarification was sent out.
It read: "Message from OurMine: we detected unusual activity on this account, the account was hacked by someone and we are trying to fix the issue now."
This is breaking news.
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