On January 3 and 4, Georgian (1;2;3) and Russian-language Facebook accounts circulated photos allegedly showing the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. He is wearing a white shirt with a red stain on it. Alongside Maduro, the photo shows people in military uniforms detaining him.
The photos purportedly depicting Nicolás Maduro’s arrest are not real. They were most likely created using artificial intelligence.
Western media outlets have not published any such frames of Maduro’s arrest. In particular, it does not appear on the social media accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump or official government agencies.
Closer inspection of the photo reveals several details characteristic of AI-generated or digitally manipulated visuals. For example, the hands of the individuals detaining Maduro look unnatural and appear merged together. On one hand, the thumb is separated from the other fingers. Inaccuracies are also visible on Maduro’s face: his mustache is long on one side, extending past the lower lip, while on the other side it is short.
In addition, to verify the photo’s authenticity, we used AI-detection tools. Two tools – HIVE Moderation and AIorNot – assessed the image as highly likely or probably generated by artificial intelligence.
The photo circulating on social media differs from the images taken and published by U.S. official agencies or the media. In none of those images is Maduro wearing a white shirt. The first photo of the detained Maduro was shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social, where he wrote that it was taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
Later, media outlets circulated footage showing the detained Nicolás Maduro being escorted off an airplane. In a video published on social network X by a journalist from the U.S. television channel Fox News, federal agents are seen escorting Maduro, while the Venezuelan president says, “Good night, happy New Year.” Nicolás Maduro was placed in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Source: ABC News
On January 3, U.S. military forces raided Nicolás Maduro’s home in Venezuela and arrested him together with his wife. The operation was carried out by the command of the U.S. Army’s special operations unit (Delta Force). Following the operation, Donald Trump stated that the United States would run Venezuela until a “proper” transfer of power takes place. Trump also spoke about oil in Venezuela, saying that U.S. oil companies would enter the country, expand the industry, and sell Venezuelan oil to other countries.
Thus, the footage of Maduro’s arrest circulating on social media is not real and was created using artificial intelligence. After Maduro’s arrest, another photo making the same claim also circulated on social networks. After examining the image, Myth Detector determined that it was also AI-generated. Read more in the article:
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