Photo of Shahidul Alam’s arrest was AI-generated: Rumor Scanner

A photo circulating on social media claiming to show Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam being detained from a Gaza-bound flotilla has been found to be artificially generated, according to fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner.

Rumor Scanner reported that the image, which shows a man resembling Shahidul Alam surrounded by armed men in military uniform, does not appear on any credible or official platforms. The photo was absent from the verified X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube accounts of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the international group organizing the Gaza aid mission.

Earlier, Shahidul Alam’s organization Drik stated that Israeli forces “violently seized” eight ships from the flotilla, including the vessel Conscience, about 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers) off the Gaza coast in international waters at around 6 a.m. Palestinian time (8 am Bangladesh time) on Wednesday.

Before this, more than 40 aid vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla had attempted to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces intercepted those ships and detained over 400 activists on board.

On October 1, another fleet of 11 ships set sail for Gaza under the banner of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madelines to Gaza (TMTG).

Citing a report from the Times of Israel, Rumor Scanner said Israeli authorities confirmed that the flotilla had been prevented from reaching its destination and that both the vessels and passengers were taken to Ashdod Port. Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that all passengers were safe and in good health and would be repatriated shortly.

Rumor Scanner observed that neither the Times of Israel nor the Israeli Foreign Ministry had published the alleged photo. Upon closer inspection, the organization identified several inconsistencies typical of AI-generated imagery.

The fact-checkers noted that the faces, builds, and postures of the armed men in the photo were strikingly similar, suggesting digital replication.

On October 4, Shahidul Alam shared a verified photo on his Facebook page, showing himself with fellow passengers aboard Conscience. In that image, he is seen wearing a black panjabi featuring the portrait of Abu Sayeed, a student killed during Bangladesh’s quota reform protests.

However, in the viral image, Shahidul appears in different attire, and the position of Abu Sayeed’s portrait on his clothing appears reversed—a common indicator of AI manipulation, according to Rumor Scanner.

Tests conducted using the Hive Moderation AI-detection tool suggested a 97 percent likelihood that the viral image was generated using artificial intelligence.