Original article (in Albanian) was published on 05/01/2026; Author: Patris Pustina
After the widely reported U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, an image claiming to depict moments from the incident began circulating online, including on Albanian-speaking media outlets.
Nevertheless, the image above is not real. It was produced using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
It was originally posted on X/Twitter by a user who calls themselves an “AI video art enthusiast” and regularly shares AI-generated content.
Another clue that the image is likely fake is that one of the soldiers’ vests shows the initials of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), whereas the operation to capture Maduro was carried out by Delta Force, a U.S. Army special operations unit.
In addition, the image was not shared by U.S. President Donald Trump’s account or by any other organization or U.S. government official. Trump posted a photo of Maduro after his capture, where he appeared dressed completely differently, wearing a gray Nike tracksuit.
Another video shared by the White House account @RapidResponse47 shows Maduro being escorted to detention in New York City on January 3, 2026. The footage shows him accompanied by three officers. In this officially released video, Maduro’s clothing is also different from the outfit seen in the AI-generated image.
Additionally, a visual search with Google Lens revealed that the image was labeled “Created with Google AI.” A Google spokesperson told AFP that the presence of a SynthID trace indicates that “the image was generated or altered using AI.” SynthID, introduced by Google’s DeepMind AI lab in 2023, is used to identify images produced with Google AI.
Trump confirmed that Maduro was “captured and flown out by plane together with his wife.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Maduro will face a criminal trial in the United States.
