Fact Check: Did a Kuwaiti man confront a US fighter pilot after his jet was shot down?

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT: Amid the intensifying conflict in the Middle East that led to three US fighter jets being shot down in Kuwait, an image began circulating on social media platforms claiming to show a local man confronting one of the pilots whose jet was shot down. The image has sparked speculation among many. Let us analyse and fact-check it.

Claim: Kuwaiti man confronts an American fighter pilot

The image showing a Kuwaiti man confronting a downed US pilot surfaced after the US Central Command said that air defenses in Kuwait mistakenly shot down three US fighter jets.

A page on X that posted the image wrote, “Incredible photo: A Kuwaiti man confronted an ejected American pilot with a metal pipe after mistaking him for an Iranian pilot, before quickly realizing his mistake.”

The image is also making the rounds on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Reddit, gaining millions of views and thousands of shares as of this writing.

While the photo was shared with claims of being authentic, a few others expressed skepticism.

Fact Check: The image is AI-generated

The image, however, is fake and was created using Artificial Intelligence. According to Google’s generative AI model Gemini, the image contained SynthID, a digital watermark that Google adds to content created or generated with its AI tools.

Other than the SynthID, the image included a clear sign of AI generation, such as the fact that both the pilot and the Kuwaiti man were missing one finger on each hand.

A fact check by Grok stated that, “This photo is fake—AI-generated (Google SynthID watermark + artifacts like missing fingers). Real videos show pilots helped by locals, some initially mistaking them for Iranians.”

Kuwait accidentally downed three US fighter jets

According to US Central Command, which is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, Kuwait's air defenses shot down three American F-15 fighter jets in its airspace in an 'apparent friendly fire incident' on March 1.

According to their news release, six crew members from the three planes ejected safely and were recovering, but did not name or otherwise identify the crew.

The command also noted that the cause of the incident was under investigation.

The crash comes against the backdrop of soaring tensions, missile threats, and heightened alerts for US bases and aircraft across the Middle East.