A piece of concept art of a decimated Washington, D.C. from Bethesda Softworks post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, 360) has been circulated through a handful of news publications, reported as computer-generated terrorist propaganda.

The artwork (pictured left) was released as part of Bethesda’s early promotional campaigns for Fallout 3, which takes place in and around the Washington, D.C. area decades after a nuclear catastrophe. The image appeared on the Daily Mail’s website under the headline "Al-Qaeda’s terrifying vision of a devastated America in the wake of a nuclear attack".

"This is the apocalyptic scene terrorists hope to create if they ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb... posted on an Islamic extremists’ website yesterday," wrote the Mail’s Barry Wigmore.

The image also appeared on the Australian news outlet News.com.au, which cited terror watchdog organization SITE Intel as having released the image "which reportedly appeared on an Islamist forum."

Though several members of the press have since pointed out the gaffe, neither the Daily Mail nor News.com.au have updated their stories with corrections or retractions of the claim.

Note: This is simply nonsense, the government needs to get its head out of its arse!