Purported image of UAE leader in Epstein files is manipulated
- Published on February 17, 2026 at 09:24
- 2 min read
- By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
After the US government published its latest batch of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, posts surfaced online falsely claiming a picture from the cache of documents depicts UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan kissed by two women. The image is manipulated; the original photo predates the release of the files and shows a former Moroccan football player.
"In the newly leaked documents from the Epstein files, it has been revealed that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Emir of Abu Dhabi, met with Jeffrey Epstein on his private island," reads text on a screenshot shared on Facebook on February 4, 2026.
It features two images -- one showing a man kissed on the cheeks by two women while the other depicts the Emirati leader (archived link).
Similar posts spread elsewhere on Facebook, Threads and X after the US Justice Department released millions of documents from its investigation into Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls (archived link).
Prior document releases highlight Epstein's associations with prominent figures in business, entertainment, academia and politics -- such as US President Donald Trump and former leader Bill Clinton.
The mere mention of someone's name in the Epstein files does not, in itself, imply any wrongdoing by that person.
But the documents made public show at the very least connections between Epstein or his circle and certain public figures who have often downplayed -- or even denied -- the existence of such ties.
Comments on the circulating posts indicate many users believed the image was genuine.
"Everyone's debauchery is coming out in the open...nothing is safe in this digital age," one wrote.
"All the big names used to go to Epstein's private island to have fun -- big kings, prime ministers, presidents, everyone," another said.
High-profile people have come under scrutiny for visits to Little Saint James, the private redoubt in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors alleged Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex (archived link).
The image, however, is manipulated.
A reverse image search on Google led to a corresponding picture uploaded to Facebook on January 25, 2012 (archived link).
The Arabic-language caption identified the man as the former Moroccan footballer Marouane Chamakh, who retired in 2019 (archived here and here).
A Moroccan sports newspaper included the picture in a report about leaked nightclub photos of Moroccan players, including Chamakh (archived link).
Although Al Nahyan is mentioned in the batch of Epstein files released in January 2026, these include references in FBI briefing notes, a copy of a news report and an email to Epstein from a health club (archived link).
Fact-checking organisations Boom and The Quint also debunked the fabricated image of the UAE president (archived here and here).
More of our coverage of misinformation related to Epstein can be found here.
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