Viral image of Nicolás Maduro being led away from plane isn’t real

A widely shared picture appearing to show Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in US custody and being led away from a plane isn’t real. There are several clues that it was made using artificial intelligence (AI), including a digital watermark, apparent discrepancies in the image and the fact that it is significantly different to genuine images of Mr Maduro arriving in the US.

Although Mr Maduro was seized by US forces on 3 January, this particular image of him being escorted off a plane by people in military fatigues is fake.

When Full Fact put certain versions of the picture through Google reverse image search, it was flagged as having been “made with Google AI”, indicating it was generated or altered with Google’s artificial intelligence.

Images produce this prompt when they contain a SynthID digital watermark, which is undetectable with the human eye, but is embedded into content which has been generated or altered with one of several Google AI products. Google says the watermark is “designed to stand up to modifications like cropping, adding filters”, though it has also previously said the presence of a watermark can't tell us whether AI was used to completely generate a brand-new image or modify an existing one.

Professor Hany Farid, who specialises in digital forensics, misinformation and image analysis at the University of California, Berkeley, and is Chief Science Officer at GetReal Security, told Full Fact the image is AI-generated and that he also identified a SynthID watermark.

We found several very similar versions of the images circulating online, all showing Mr Maduro dressed in a white shirt and dark jacket, flanked by four people in military fatigues whose faces are blurred.

Some versions are blurrier than others, and some are tilted at a slight angle, but all show the person on Mr Maduro’s left with “DEA” (Drug Enforcement Agency) emblazoned on their chest, while the person on the right has a US flag on their uniform. There is a white aeroplane in the background with what looks like another person by the door, and some versions of the image show the date “Jan 3 2026” in the bottom right corner.

Some versions of the image were not flagged as having the same SynthID watermark when we put them through Google reverse image search, which could possibly be due to people cropping the image, applying a filter, screenshotting or photographing the original. Professor Farid told us significant editing can damage or remove a SynthID watermark. But due to strong visual similarities we still believe they are the same image and have been generated with AI.

An X account which said it was behind the earliest version Full Fact could find online claimed it created the photo using AI.

And Dr Siwei Lyu, an expert in digital media forensics at University at Buffalo, State University of New York, told us he found several artifacts typical of AI-generation in the image, such as odd reflections and textures.

Moreover, real imagery of Mr Maduro initially disembarking in the US at nighttime is significantly different to this image circulating online. He is surrounded by people wearing black jackets, not military fatigues. When he is on the tarmac he appears to be wearing blue clothing.

Daylight images of him being later transported to a court hearing on 5 January show him next to people wearing military gear.

We often see videos and images shared online in the wake of major global events that don’t show the things they claim to. Earlier this week we fact checked a video which was shared on social media with claims about the recent US military strikes on Venezuela, but which actually dated from 2024. For tips on how to verify content before you share it, read our guide.