Is this Banksy? Woman claims to have filmed elusive street artist on camera in Israel

A woman’s claims that footage showing the elusive artist Banksy working at an exhibition in Israel have been flatly rejected.

The world’s most famous street artist – who has rumoured to have been unmasked on several occasions – recently opened an interactive exhibition at a hotel in Bethlehem.

But days before a witness says she filmed him at an art show at a shopping mall curated by his former manager in nearby Israel.

The footage, filmed on a mobile phone, shows a man wearing a bucket hat and camouflage trousers walking around an art studio carrying a stencil, before looking at the camera and putting up a hand to cover his face.

A witness at the shopping centre, who asked not to be named, said: “The mall opens at 10am but if you need to be there earlier you have to sign your name.

“What was really weird was that when I came in and I had to sign my name, I noticed an English name and said to the security guard ‘who is that?’

“He said it was an artist from England.”

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The woman added: “The guy in the video is maybe around 40, the door was open and the smell of spray paint was really strong. He’s not Israeli for sure.

“I’m not what you’d call a huge fan, but I was saying to myself ‘oh my god, it’s him. I think it’s Banksy.’”

However, a spokesperson for the artist told Yahoo News UK that the reports are nothing but fake news”, insisting the individual is categorically not the artist.

The exhibition, The Art of Banksy, is due to open in the Arena mall in Herzliya Marina, not far from Tel Aviv, and one of the most expensive places in Israel.

Banksy’s identity has remained a mystery for years, despite several pictures and videos claiming to show him.

CCTV cameras installed in Bristol to deter graffiti artists captured a hooded figure thought to have been the man himself in 2014.

The image was later used on Banksy’s own website, leading some to believe that he was showing the world how he was nearly caught.