Old Photo From Türkiye Falsely Viral As Pakistani Pilot Captured In India

A 2016 photo from a Turkish F-16 fighter jet crash is viral falsely claiming that it shows the capture of a Pakistan Air Force pilot in India, amidst escalating tensions between the two countries.

Military conflict between India and Pakistan escalated to dangerous levels on Thursday night, with counter-offensives launched by the neighbouring countries.

The viral photo shot at night, is blurry and only shows a group of uniformed personnel gathered around in an open ground. It is viral with text claiming it is a photo of a Pakistani Air Force pilot captured in the current military conflict between India and Pakistan.

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FACT-CHECK: 2016 Turkish Fighter Jet Crash Photo

BOOM found that the viral photo is from 2016 when a Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed in Diyarbakir, Türkiye and not related to India.

We confirmed that the viral photo is not related to the ongoing military action between India and Pakistan.

We ran a reverse image search using Google Lens and found the original image published by news agency Getty Images on December 12, 2016. The Getty image credits an AFP journalist Ilyas Akengin with the caption elaborating that a Turkish fighter jet crashed, with the pilot ejecting safely.

We also noticed that the photo does not show any person caught or detained as the viral posts claim.

The incident in original photo, seen below, matches the viral image with the same set of uniformed personnel visible in both images. We also found that the viral photo is cropped and only shows one group standing in an open field.

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BOOM also reached out to a spokesperson from the Indian Air Force, who said there was no official confirmation about a pilot captured in Pathankot, Punjab. The spokesperson declined to comment on reports of a Pakistani pilot captured in Rajasthan, adding operations were ongoing in the region.