- A video circulating on social media platforms X and Instagram falsely claims that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the United States government.
- The posts, which appeared on Saturday, suggest the footage shows celebrations following an arrest by the Delta Force.
- However, the video is not recent.
- The footage actually dates back to July 29, 2024, capturing a protest in the city of Maracay during the Venezuelan presidential elections.
Quick Summary
Social media users are circulating a video that falsely claims Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the United States government. The posts appeared on platforms including X and Instagram, coinciding with reports of US military actions in Caracas. The video depicts a large poster of Maduro being torn down by protesters, accompanied by cheering crowds. However, the footage is not related to any recent capture. The video is actually from July 29, 2024, documenting a protest in Maracay, Venezuela, that took place during the country's presidential elections. While the video is real and not a product of artificial intelligence, the captions describing a recent capture are misleading. The content has been taken out of its original context to create a false impression of current events.
The Viral Claims
On Saturday, a specific video began circulating widely on social media, specifically on X and Instagram. The video shows a group of people tearing down a large banner featuring a photo of President Nicolás Maduro. As the banner falls, individuals can be seen exiting their vehicles to applaud the action.
Accompanying captions for this video made specific claims about the timing and context of the footage. Two examples of the misleading descriptions included:
- "Venezuelanos em festa comemoram prisão de Maduro" (Venezuelans in celebration celebrate Maduro's arrest).
- "Em toda a Venezuela, cartazes de Maduro estão sendo arrancados sob aplausos dos moradores locais após sua prisão pela Força Delta dos EUA" (Throughout Venezuela, posters of Maduro are being torn down under applause from locals after his arrest by the US Delta Force).
These posts alleged that the footage was recorded immediately following a US attack in Caracas and the subsequent capture of the Venezuelan leader. The narrative suggested that the population was celebrating the alleged arrest.
Verification of the Footage
Despite the claims, the video does not depict a recent event. The footage is authentic but has been stripped of its original context. The scene actually took place on July 29, 2024, which was the day of the presidential elections in Venezuela. The specific location of the event was the city of Maracay.
To verify the origin of the video, digital verification techniques were employed. Analysts used the tool InVID to fragment the video into static frames. By selecting a specific frame and performing a reverse image search using Google Lens, it was possible to trace the video's history. The search confirmed that the same footage had been published on social media and news sites in July 2024. At that time, the videos were correctly labeled as protests against Maduro in Maracay during the election period.
Conclusion
The viral video circulating with claims of President Nicolás Maduro's capture is false. While the video shows real footage of protesters tearing down a poster of Maduro, the event occurred months prior to the claims. The footage is from July 29, 2024, documenting election protests in Maracay, not a celebration of a recent capture by US forces. Users are advised to verify the context of viral videos before sharing them, as old footage is frequently repurposed to support misleading narratives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the video of Nicolás Maduro being captured real?
The video is real footage, but it is not recent. It shows a protest from July 29, 2024, in Maracay, Venezuela, during the presidential elections. It does not show a capture by US forces.
When did the events in the video actually take place?
The events took place on July 29, 2024, in the city of Maracay.
