Fact Check: Is the video claiming to show a downed US pilot taken into custody by Iran real?

A search-and-rescue operation is underway after a US military aircraft was shot down over Iran

BY SAURAV SURESH

PUBLISHED APR 4, 2026

A viral video claims to show US Air Force pilot of a downed fighter jet being taken into custody in Iran (@SilentlySirs/X)

TEHRAN, IRAN: A video has been going viral on social media platforms claiming to show a US Air Force pilot of a downed fighter jet being taken into custody in Iran. The video surfaced as the conflict with Iran continues to escalate, sparking panic and speculation about the video’s authenticity. Let us analyze the viral video and fact-check the claim behind it.

Claim: American pilot taken into custody by Iran

The video surfaced after various news media outlets reported the downing of an F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran on April 3 (@VladimierPutin/X)

The video surfaced on Friday, April 3, on X and shows a person training a gun on another person, putting his or her hands in the air. The brief clip is shared with the claim showing Iranian officials taking a US Air Force pilot from a downed fighter jet into custody.

The post came with a caption stating, “The American pilot is in the custody of the Sons of Haidar al-Karrar." But it is unclear what 'the Sons of Haidar al-Karrar' mean.

The video surfaced after various news media outlets reported the downing of an F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran on April 3, in which one of the two aircraft's crew members was rescued, with searches still underway for the remaining pilot.

Fact Check: The video is unrelated to the ongoing conflict

The video first appeared online a month before the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28 (@Shayan86/X)

Although the video is authentic, the claim is inaccurate. The video first appeared online a month before the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28.

BBC Verify senior journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh reported on X, "The claim that this video shows a US pilot being captured by Iranians after the downing of an F-15 fighter jet is false."

A reverse image search for the key frames of the video led to a longer version of the same video, including a Facebook post from May 9, 2025, mentioning ongoing conflicts between India and Pakistan.

According to a fact-check outlet, the clip showed a paraglider from Bangladesh named Riyad who accidentally landed at a closed airport in Pakistan.

United States fighter jet shot down over Iran

FILE PHOTO: An air-to-air front view of an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft of the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron. (Photo by USAF) — FILE PHOTO: An air-to-air front view of an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft of the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Photo by USAF)

A search-and-rescue operation is underway after a US military aircraft was shot down over central Iran, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

The incident, reported on Friday, April 3, marks the first confirmed loss of a manned US fighter jet to Iranian fire since the start of the conflict. The status of the two crew members remains unknown.

US officials have not yet issued a formal statement. Iranian state media reported that the aircraft was targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and broadcast images it claimed show debris from the crash.