By Tim Binnall
A notorious French prankster has reportedly revealed that he was behind last week's incident wherein multiple people throughout the southern part of the country spotted a glowing cigar-shaped UFO. The mass sighting, which occurred on Tuesday evening, sparked worldwide headlines and a considerable amount of coverage from national media outlets in France. However, the mystery of the eerie object was short-lived as YouTube personality and prominent French practical joker Remi Gaillard came forward over the weekend to take credit for the 'extraterrestrial affair' and explained how he pulled off the elaborate hoax.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Gaillard proudly introduced Marie, a horse breeder, and Loic, a meteorologist. "Thanks to them," he boasted, "we succeeded in pranking all of you." The video then shows how the two accomplices posed as bewildered witnesses who were interviewed by credulous news organizations in France. Looking back on her role in the stunt, which saw her leading a TV program out to a field where she 'saw the UFO,' Marie marveled that "I had to tell probably the biggest lie of my life." Gaillard went on to indicate that the prank was weeks in the making and marveled at how quickly the videos of the odd object wound up becoming something of a media sensation last week in France.
As for how he created the 'UFO,' it is believed that the craft was simply a drone equipped with an LED light and that the individuals who filmed the object that evening were actually participants in the wide-ranging hoax as they were tasked with capturing the scene with their cell phones and posting the footage online. That said, the practical joker has promised that a forthcoming video will provide a proverbial behind-the-scenes look at exactly how the stunt was orchestrated. Beyond generating laughs, Gaillard suggested on social media that the prank also served as a critique of the mediea, musing that they often "make people believe anything, and then I said to myself that it is my turn."