Fact Check: Is the viral image of Nicolas Maduro handcuffed in military uniform real?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An image purportedly showing the ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs and wearing a military uniform has been circulating on social media, claiming to be from the time of his capture by the US forces.
The image has fuelled widespread speculations about its authenticity. So, let us fact-check it.
Claim: Viral image shows Nicolas Maduro handcuffed in a military uniform
The image showing Maduro wearing a military uniform and in handcuffs was shared in an X (formerly Twitter) post on January 3, with a Traditional Chinese caption.
The caption translates, “The US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in less than two hours."
Fact Check: The viral image is morphed
The image has been debunked by AFP, labelling it as fabricated.
The picture supposedly showing the handcuffed leader was also shared on YouTube, Facebook, Threads, and Hong Kong-based forum LIHKG. It also spread in other languages such as English, Spanish, German, and Bengali.
But according to a Google image search, the original picture shows Ukrainian business tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was uploaded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Instagram account on April 13, 2022.
According to Ukrainian authorities, they had captured Medvedchuk, who escaped from house arrest after Russia's invasion.
A Ukrainian flag can be seen on his left arm.
Another reverse search found that the picture of Maduro's face in the edited image was taken from a photo published on the website of the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on June 11, 2022, during talks between the leaders.
US forces captured Nicolas Maduro in a surprise raid
Explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital in the early hours of January 3 as US forces conducted an operation to capture Maduro.
According to reports, the mission targeted heavily guarded locations to facilitate the swift extraction of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the couple would "face the full wrath of American justice" on US soil.
The operation follows years of US pressure on Maduro, including bounties placed on his head, which escalated from $15 million to $25 million under the previous administration, and further to $50 million under the current administration.
President Donald Trump pointed to Maduro's alleged ties to drug cartels, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has been linked to several criminal activities in the US.
