Fact check: Viral video does not show Iranian soldiers capturing US pilot after shooting down jet

Multiple people were sharing a video on several social media platforms since April 4, claiming it showed Iranian forces capturing an American pilot after shooting down a US F-15 fighter jet. However, the video is old and shows a Libyan soldier performing a parachute jump.

The Middle East war has entered its 35th day with no let-up in hostilities. The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, including missile systems and nuclear-related facilities. The strikes marked a significant escalation in tensions between the countries, following a period of heightened regional instability and previous confrontations.

On April 3, Iranian state media said the country’s forces shot down a US jet over its southern region. The US later said that it rescued two of its pilots from Iran.

On April 4, a parody account named after former Iranian interim supreme leader Ayatullah Alireza Aarfi shared a video on X allegedly showing Iranian forces capturing an American pilot with the following caption: “Breaking: Watch the moment the American pilot was taken captive.”

It further questioned the authenticity of the video and the claim from the AI chatbot Grok in the caption.

The post gained 500,000 views.

A pro-Iranian user, based on his profile picture and past posts, also shared the same video in a similar context with the caption: “Urgent: Watch the moment of the capture of the American pilot.”

The post gained 1.5 million views.

An account shared the video with the same caption on X, garnering 1.5m views.

Another pro-Iranian user shared the same video with the following caption: “The American pilot who crashed in Iran was captured” on Instagram.

The post gained one million views.

An Instagram page shared the same video with a similar claim, gaining 705,000 views.

An Iraqi user shared the same video in a similar context on April 5. The post gained 2.5m views and was liked by 130,000 users on Instagram.

A user, who usually reacts to different videos on Instagram, reacted to the same video without any caption. The post gained 1.5m views.

An author and novelist also shared the same video in a similar context on Instagram with the following text overlay: “The American pilot falling into the hands of the Iranians. Perhaps if he had stayed in his aircraft and died, it would have been easier for him. But now, he will be returned to them, not as he came but carried on a missile of their making.”

The post gained 2.5m views and gained 105,000 likes.

The video was widely shared on Instagram, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here; and X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.

The posts collectively gained 2.5m views.

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the US-Israel war with Iran, along with Tehran’s takedown of American fighting aircraft.

A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video yielded the same video shared by Libyan media outlet Fawasel Media on its Facebook page on March 2.

The video was captioned: “Watch | A member of the Thunderbolt Forces in Benghazi performs a parachute jump despite having a broken leg, and his colleagues welcome him upon landing.”

The caption concluded with a hashtag for “Libya”.

As can be seen, the video predates the shooting down of an American fighter jet on March 4, and the old video shows a Libyan soldier performing a parachute jump despite having a broken leg.

A keyword search yielded a full video of the same event with a different angle, which was shared by a user on Instagram on March 2.

The video was shared in the same context with the caption: “A scene of unwavering will: a free jump despite a broken leg. Such are the men of our nation, the heroes of the Libyan Arab Army. Praise be to God, a successful landing.”

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The comparison of the two videos shows the same black-and-white striped cloth/flag appearing in the same position and form in both clips.

The comparison also shows the same parachute, with distinct holes visible in its canopy, appearing in both videos. This unique feature further confirms that the footage is identical and has been misrepresented with a false claim.

The broken leg can be seen at the 10-second mark of the old video, further confirming the claim is false.

Lastly, a keyword search confirmed that there were no news reports from credible mainstream international, American or Iranian media outlets regarding any such capture video of a US pilot. Instead, multiple new reports, by The New York Times, BBC and NBC News, mentioned that the US announced it had successfully rescued the second crew member of an F-15E fighter jet that had been shot down over Iran.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Iranian forces capturing an American fighter pilot is false. The video is from March and shows a Libyan soldier performing a parachute jump despite having a broken leg.

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This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.