On the night of January 2, the United States attacked Venezuela and captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. According to the Cuban government, 32 people were killed in the operation. Meanwhile, politicians and representatives of the European Union and the United Nations have called for respect for international law and the UN Charter.

On social media, users have shared numerous images and videos that allegedly show Maduro's arrest. According to the investigative network Eurovision News Spotlight, some of this content is AI-generated and, therefore, fake. Videos and images of alleged current protests — both against Maduro and in his favor — also keep appearing. But are they genuine or fake as well? A DW fact check.

Are Venezuelans celebrating Maduro's ouster?

Claim: Numerous videos on social media supposedly show people celebrating in Venezuela.

Alex Jones, a well-known US conspiracy theorist, claims in a post on X: "Millions of Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas and other major cities to celebrate the fall of communist dictator Nicolas Maduro." The video was viewed more than 2 million times and was also shared on other platforms like Facebook.

DW Fact check: False

The video is not related to current events. A Google reverse image search shows that the video is from 2024 (or even older). It was published, for example, on Facebook in summer 2024. The same video also appeared on various other accounts at the same time in 2024.

Back then, it was shared by Tomas Guanipa, a Venezuelan opposition politician — formerly a member of the "Primero Justicia" party. He demanded that the National Electoral Council (CNE) publish the election results. Shortly before the video was posted, presidential elections were held in Venezuela and the country's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro declared himself as the winner. Thousands of opposition supporters then protested against him.

So the video currently circulating on social media actually comes from a past demonstration and has nothing to do with the current situation in the country.

Still, the situation in Venezuela remains tense and uncertain.

Venezuelan journalist Noris Sotu, who is currently in Caracas, said in an interview with DW: "You don't see big displays of celebration on the streets. You don't see neither protests nor celebrations because people are really afraid."

In the past, international election observers and NGOs have pointed out that elections in Venezuela are not fair. Maduro's government has repeatedly been accused of influencing the judiciary and electoral authorities, excluding opposition candidates and restricting media freedom.

Celebrating Venezuelans — real or AI?

Claim: A short video on Instagram that gained more than 4.5 million views supposedly shows Venezuelans in the streets celebrating Maduro's arrest. The video was also shared on Facebook, Threads and TikTok.

DW Fact check: Fake

The video is not real but AI-generated. The people in the video appear highly emotional: Some hug each other, others cry or scream, some stand still. On closer inspection, several inconsistencies typical of AI-generated videos become apparent. For example, the raised finger of a man flickers and disappears. Another man's hand appears deformed. Additionally, the jewelry of several people looks fragmented and incomplete.

Another striking error in the video: A power pole in the background seems directly connected to the balconies of a residential building — an unrealistic depiction.

A reverse image search also identified the likely origin of the viral video: TikTok. There, the video, which has reached more than 13 million views, was labeled by the creator as AI-generated.

Several other AI-generated videos of alleged celebrations in Venezuela are also being shared on social media.

A video showing demonstrations in support of Maduro?

Claim: "This is Caracas today. Huge crowds in support of President Maduro. You won't see this in mainstream media", a user on X writes, posting a video that supposedly shows demonstrators supporting Maduro. The video was also shared on other X accounts.

DW Fact check: False

The video is not current. A reverse image search shows that the video was already published in November 2025. The caption refers to a Youth Day in Caracas that took place that month.

The Venezuelan government itself published photos of the Youth Day on its website — including images showing Maduro in a crowd. The dates match. This is also confirmed by a comparison with independent agency photos from the same day. So, the original video shows a crowd from the Youth Day, not a current pro-Maduro demonstration.

However, there are indeed demonstrators currently demanding Maduro's release. Shortly after the US capture of Maduro and his wife, members of the Maduro-loyal militia group known as "Colectivos" took to the streets to demand his release.

This article was originally written in German.