Last updated on January 23rd, 2026
Editor's note
In early January, following reports that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been arrested, multiple images were widely shared on social media. While some have since been verified to be false, they continue to circulate even after being debunked by authoritative sources. Such disinformation misleads the public and undermines serious political discourse. To safeguard the public’s right to accurate information and clarify the facts, Fact Hunter launched this fact-checking investigation.
Claim
On January 3, 2026, after the United States launched a military operation against Venezuela and arrested President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, many related images circulated on social media. One widely shared image shows a man who closely resembles Maduro being escorted by American soldiers. Their clothing displays a U.S. flag and a “DEA” label. The image shows a “JAN 3 2026” watermark in the lower-right corner.
Fact check
1. Image source
After a reverse image search using Google Images, it was confirmed that the image was first published on X at 6:33 p.m. on January 3, 2026, by the account @San_live. The post received 117,000 views and more than 400 interactions.
The post includes a screenshot. Our verification shows that the text in the screenshot matches a post made by Donald Trump on the Truth Social platform on January 3, 2026. In it, Trump claimed that the United States carried out a large-scale military operation in Venezuela and that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were arrested and taken out of the country.
2. Forensic comparison: uniform insignia
(1) Following a preliminary review, no direct evidence of image manipulation was identified. The image depicts two individuals presented as law enforcement officers, displaying different chest insignia: One wears a U.S. flag patch, while the other bears a label reading “DEA”.
However, closer inspection raises questions about the insignia’s authenticity. “DEA” stands for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The mission of the DEA is to enforce U.S. controlled substance laws, bring drug trafficking organizations and their leaders to justice, and support programs that reduce the availability of illegal drugs domestically and internationally.
A forensic comparison was conducted between the “DEA” label in the image and verified official references, including images from the DEA website and the Getty Images database. This comparison revealed discrepancies; the label in the circulating image does not match official versions in terms of font, layout, or overall style.
Therefore, despite the absence of obvious digital manipulation, the anomalous insignia necessitates further investigation into the image’s source and authenticity.
Source: DEA website and Getty Images
(2) The date “JAN 3 2026” appears at the bottom of the image. The text is white, bold, and slightly jagged. This timestamp style is typical of older cameras or security systems, It is inconsistent with the timestamp metadata or overlay styles generated by modern smartphones, professional digital cameras, or mainstream news broadcasting systems. After a full reverse search online, no source video or earlier instances of this specific image frame was found online, indicating it is unlikely to be a simple screenshot from a publicly available video.
(3) On January 4, Trump posted a photo on Truth Social. In the photo, Maduro is wearing a gray tracksuit with his eyes covered. A side-by-side comparison reveals significant discrepancies between this image and the earlier “DEA arrest” photo, particularly in Maduro’s hair color, hairstyle, and hair length.
3. Supplementary AI Analysis
To further assess the image’s authenticity, it was submitted to the specialized detection tool TruthScan. The tool’s analysis, which evaluates visual artifacts and inconsistencies typical of generative AI, assigned a 99% probability score for AI generation. This provides strong technical corroboration for the manual forensic findings regarding the anomalous uniform insignia and timestamp.
4. Official statements and media reports
After verification, although major international media outlets such as AP, Reuters, and The Guardian reported on the arrest of Maduro, none of their reports used the image circulating online.
The image used by AP was taken from video footage provided by WABC and published by the Associated Press. It was recorded on January 5, 2026, in New York. The image shows Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being escorted by security personnel to board a helicopter for transport to Manhattan Federal Court.
The Reuters image, supplied by a third party and published via Reuters, was taken on January 3, 2026, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, U.S.
In addition, a review of official statements from the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State over the past month found that neither side used the circulated image.
5. Communicator Analysis
The bio of @San_live lists “AI video art enthusiast”. The account was created around October 2010 and is registered in Spain. As of the latest data, the account has 91 followers and has published 909 posts.
The account engages primarily with the AI creation community. Its content is highly focused on AI video generation tools, with about 95% of posts related to AI creation.
6. Dissemination Timeline of the False Claim
January 3: User @San_live on Platform X posted a fabricated image purporting to show the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, shortly after unverified rumors about an arrest began circulating online.
January 4: Trump posted a photo of Maduro on Truth Social. In the photo, Maduro is in handcuffs and his eyes are covered with a black cloth. The post was later reshared by the @WhiteHouse account.
January 5: User @San_live on Platform X reposted a post stating that the image circulating online was AI-generated.
January 6: User @San_live on Platform X posted a comment saying: “This AI image I created has gone viral worldwide. People from the U.S. have contacted me to ask how it was made. If you are interested, I can share the details.” This statement directly confirms that the image was AI-generated.
Even after the user clarified that the image was AI-generated, the image continued to circulate across multiple social media platforms.
Monitoring shows that between January 3 and January 14, the false image reached over 2 million people across platforms. X was the main platform, with further spread to Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
7. Analysis of comments under the post
As of January 14, a comment analysis tool was used to examine user engagement on the post. The results show that the post received 38 comments in total. Among them, 11 comments (28.9%) stated that the image was fake. Examples include: “Fake foto” and “This post is manipulated and does not appear on Donald Trump’s official or verified social media accounts. There is no reliable evidence that such a statement was actually made.”
10 comments (26.3%) asked for confirmation from authoritative sources. Examples include: “@grok is the photo real?” and “@grok no me sale ese tweet y esa imagen de maduro es real?”
10.0% of the commenters shifted away from discussing the image’s authenticity and showed clear position-based views. An example is: “Bunch of murderers, kidnappers and thieves.”
Overall, more than 55% of the commenters questioned the authenticity of the image. A small number of commenters engaged in position-based arguments.
Notably, even after January 6, when the image was clearly labeled as AI-generated, discussion continued across platforms, including Reddit.
On January 6, 2026, X user @_alex_joshua posted that the image was AI-generated, receiving about 370,400 views and around 8,000 interactions.
On the same day, X user @San_live reposted the post.
In the comments, about 45% of users agreed the image was AI-generated.
About 40% said they did not initially realize the image was fake until it was pointed out by others.
Another 15% said they were waiting for more information.
Background
In the early hours of January 3, 2026, initial reports emerged that the United States had carried out a large-scale military operation, including airstrikes on Caracas and nearby areas, and that U.S. special forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
International reactions to the incident were sharply divided, and social media became a contested space for information warfare and the dissemination of false content.
Verdict:
AI-generated. After cross-checking, it was confirmed that the image circulating on social media after the January 3, 2026 arrest of Maduro, which claimed to show Maduro being escorted by DEA agents, was AI-generated false content created and disseminated by X user @San_live, who later publicly admitted to its fabrication.
Major international political incidents consistently trigger a surge in social media activity. Low-cost AI tools have reduced the barrier to producing false content. Such content is often used to gain attention, disrupt public understanding of events, and increase confusion in public discourse. Our key recommendation to users is to heighten their media literacy vigilance—specifically by sharpening their ability to spot AI-generated media and maintaining a healthy skepticism toward sensational posts from unverified sources.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Li Yiwen
Secondary Fact Checker: Liao Qin
