By MELISSA GOLDIN, Related Press
As deposed Venezuelan chief Nicolás Maduro pleaded not responsible to federal drug trafficking costs in a U.S. courtroom Monday, an array of misrepresented and fabricated photographs that started circulating quickly after his seize over the weekend continued to multiply on social media.
President Donald Trump contributed to the deluge, sharing a number of movies he falsely claimed confirmed Venezuelans celebrating the operation. In the meantime, fabricated photographs of Maduro being apprehended have been shared broadly throughout a number of platforms.
Right here’s a more in-depth take a look at the info.
CLAIM: A video of a big crowd that begins working on a darkish avenue reveals Venezuelans celebrating after Maduro was captured.
THE FACTS: That is false. The video, shot from above, reveals college students on the College of California, Los Angeles, taking part this previous December within the “Undie Run,” a quarterly custom throughout which college students run of their underwear Wednesday night time of finals week.
Trump was amongst these misrepresenting the video. Within the model he shared on Fact Social, the group is heard cheering loudly as ominous music performs within the background. A caption reads, “Venezuela celebrates, Democrats cry.”
However UCLA landmarks are clearly seen, together with the Wasserman Soccer Heart and the Meyer and Renee Luskin Convention Heart. The group is gathered on the intersection of Strathmore Place and Charles E. Younger Drive West, proper earlier than the tunnel the place the run begins.
The unique video was posted to TikTok on Dec. 11 with the caption “ants #uclarundierun,” which additionally seems within the model being misrepresented on-line. There isn’t a background music.
CLAIM: A video, shot in the course of the day from above, of a avenue full of folks reveals Venezuelans celebrating the tip of the Maduro administration.
THE FACTS: That is false. The video reveals an enormous July 2024 demonstration in Caracas protesting the nation’s disputed election, which election authorities known as for Maduro.
The video is stuffed with a cacophony of sounds coming from the group because the digital camera pans to point out folks packing the road. Two vehicles make their manner slowly by way of the group, adopted quickly after by a float carrying Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González.
The unique model was posted to Instagram on July 30, 2024. The identical float that seems within the video may be seen in photographs revealed by main media retailers on the time of the demonstration.
Protesters rally exterior the White Home Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Washington, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse in a army operation. (AP Picture/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
CLAIM: Photographs present Maduro detained by the U.S. army and Drug Enforcement Administration brokers.
THE FACTS: These photographs have been fabricated. Many embody a watermark crediting an Instagram person who describes himself as a “professional in artificial intelligence.” The photographs now not seem on the person’s profile, however some may be seen in an archived model.
Within the photographs, a person who’s allegedly Maduro is surrounded by males carrying military-style uniforms, some with an American flag patch on the entrance and others with a patch studying “DEA.” The supposed Maduro is carrying a white shirt and a dark-colored jacket. There’s a small aircraft within the background.
Trump shared a picture Saturday morning on Fact Social captioned, “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.” The person within the picture is carrying a grey sweatsuit. Each his ears and his eyes are coated.
