FACT FOCUS: Fabricated and misrepresented images shared widely online after US removal of Maduro

As deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. courtroom Monday, an array of misrepresented and fabricated images that began circulating soon after his capture over the weekend continued to multiply on social media.

President Donald Trump contributed to the deluge, sharing multiple videos he falsely claimed showed Venezuelans celebrating the operation. Meanwhile, fabricated images of Maduro being apprehended were shared widely across multiple platforms.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

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CLAIM: A video of a large crowd that starts running on a dark street shows Venezuelans celebrating after Maduro was captured.

THE FACTS: This is false. The video, shot from above, shows students at the University of California, Los Angeles, participating this past December in the “Undie Run,” a quarterly tradition during which students run in their underwear Wednesday night of finals week.

Trump was among those misrepresenting the video. In the version he shared on Truth Social, the crowd is heard cheering loudly as ominous music plays in the background. A caption reads, “Venezuela celebrates, Democrats cry.”

But UCLA landmarks are clearly visible, including the Wasserman Football Center and the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center. The crowd is gathered at the intersection of Strathmore Place and Charles E. Young Drive West, right before the tunnel where the run begins.

The original video was posted to TikTok on Dec. 11 with the caption “ants #uclarundierun,” which also appears in the version being misrepresented online. There is no background music.

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CLAIM: A video, shot during the day from above, of a street packed with people shows Venezuelans celebrating the end of the Maduro administration.

THE FACTS: This is false. The video shows a massive July 2024 demonstration in Caracas protesting the country’s disputed election, which election authorities called for Maduro.

Trump also misrepresented this video on Truth Social. He shared a version that included a screenshot of an X post that reads: “INCREDIBLE! Millions of Venezuelans are celebrating the news of the collapse of the Maduro regime.”

The video is filled with a cacophony of sounds coming from the crowd as the camera pans to show people packing the street. Two cars make their way slowly through the crowd, followed soon after by a float carrying Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González.

The original version was posted to Instagram on July 30, 2024. The same float that appears in the video can be seen in imagespublished by major media outlets at the time of the demonstration.

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CLAIM: Images show Maduro detained by the U.S. military and Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

THE FACTS: These images were fabricated. Many include a watermark crediting an Instagram user who describes himself as a “professional in artificial intelligence.” The images no longer appear on the user’s profile, but some can be seen in an archived version.

In the images, a man who is allegedly Maduro is surrounded by men wearing military-style uniforms, some with an American flag patch on the front and others with a patch reading “DEA.” The supposed Maduro is wearing a white shirt and a dark-colored jacket. There is a small plane in the background.

Trump shared an image Saturday morning on Truth Social captioned, “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.” The man in the image is wearing a gray sweatsuit. Both his ears and his eyes are covered.

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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.