Terrorism

Does a viral panoramic image really show Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during the unrest that followed the killing of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera? No, that's not true: What looked like a Google Earth image was digitally modified to add fires. According to Google and two online detectors, the picture with buildings on fire was created using generative AI tools. The claim…

Do these viral videos show real footage from flooded tents in Gaza? No, that's not true: While there were credible reports about December 2025 flooding in that region, some of the Gaza flood clips shared on social media were not real. The signs pointing to AI included strangely shaped hands, distorted faces and scene elements inconsistent with real natural disaster…

Does a video show Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, reacting to the $50M bounty announced August 7, 2025 by the US Department of State by challenging the Trump administration to come and get him at the presidential palace? No, that is NOT true: The video shows Maduro giving a speech on July 30th, 2024, after a self-declared victory in the presidential…

Has the woman photographed wearing a pink hijab posing next to a swastika been identified as Linda Sarsour, senior advisor of the Zohran for NYC campaign? No, that's not true on two counts. Linda Sarsour is not the senior advisor of the NYC mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani -- the "senior campaign advisor" is Zara Rahim. The photo of the…

Did a widely-shared image of a bearded man show the individual arrested in Liverpool after a car drove into a crowd of celebrating soccer fans in May 2025? No, that's not true: Merseyside Police confirmed to Lead Stories that the photo doesn't show the man arrested in that case. That person was described as a "53-year-old white British man from…

Did Cody Balmer, who is suspected of arson at the residence of the governor of Pennsylvania, publish a selfie with a "Fuck Trump" inscription? No, that's not true: The picture that went viral after the release of the suspect's name was digitally altered. The caption of the original selfie, which predated the attack by five years, did not mention Donald…

Was a March 26, 2025, car crash in Berlin a premeditated act of terrorism? No, that's not true: The German police told Lead Stories that, as of this writing, there is no evidence to support that theory. The incident involved a teenager who, when stopped by police, attempted to drive away, injuring eight people. The claim appeared in a post…

Was an ICE van deliberately set on fire during operations in Philadelphia? No, that's not true: A Homeland Security/ICE vehicle caught fire on the morning of February 18, 2025 in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Fire Department extinguished the fire. A spokesperson told Lead Stories the fire marshal interviewed the van's driver, determining the fire was accidental. The video of a burning…

Did federal investigators publicly confirm that the suspect in the January 1, 2025, New Orleans Bourbon Street attack "crossed into the U.S. from Mexico" two days before? No, that's not true: As of January 2, 2025, the FBI said that the suspect was a U.S. citizen who rented a car in Houston, Texas, on December 30, 2024. The post that…

Was the New Orleans attacker an immigrant, as a social media post implied? No, that's not true: The FBI and President Joe Biden said Shamsud-Din Jabbar was born in Texas and served many years in the United States Army. A widely shared video shows a man with the same name and likeness saying he was born and raised in Beaumont,…