AI-generated images revive false claim about migrants arrested in Algeria dressed as sheep
- Published on March 4, 2026 at 15:52
- 3 min read
- By Tendai DUBE, AFP South Africa
North African countries along the Mediterranean coast have become a hotbed for migrants seeking a route to Europe. In February 2026, online posts circulating in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria claimed to show three men who were arrested in Algeria while trying to enter Spain disguised as sheep. But this is false; the images were created using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
“These guys were arrested in Algeria as they tried to cross to Spain disguised as sheep. This should go into the Guinness World Book of Records as the innovation of the century!” reads a Facebook post published on February 20, 2026.
The post includes photos of police officers purportedly arresting three men dressed in sheep costumes. One image shows the woolly impersonators standing, and in another, they are kneeling.
A truck in the background appears to contain real sheep in transit.
Similar claims were shared thousands of times across TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, and several blogs, with some alleging the men were Nigerian.
The claims follow Spain’s approval of a plan on January 27, 2026, to legalise the stay of about 500,000 undocumented migrants (archived here).
In 2025, the Western Mediterranean Route became Spain’s main entry point, with more than 19,400 arrivals, according to the Mixed Migration Centre. Departures from Algeria dominated the route, despite not sharing a land border with Spain (archived here).
Hundreds of people die or disappear each year on this route because of the harsh conditions and unseaworthy smuggling boats.
However, the images purporting to show three Nigerian migrants in sheep suits are AI-generated.
‘Shaun the Sheep’
Keyword searches led to fact check articles here and here debunking a similar claim in 2025, although the images were different (archived here and here).
The images use in the claims at the time had been taken from a video which appeared on TikTok as early as July 2024 ( archived here).
The video showed real footage of people in costumes dancing to the Ukrainian version of the theme song from Shaun the Sheep, a children’s animated series (archived here).
AI-generated images
A closer look at the images circulating in 2026 reveals multiple characteristics typical to AI-generated content.
In the kneeling image, the sheep masks appear unusually lifelike, with prominent horns.
In the other image, only the first man has a horn, which is longer and differently shaped. The middle man’s hand is also incomplete, merging unnaturally with the third man’s arm, rather than extending to his back.
Notably, two costume heads resembling plush toys lie on the ground, yet only one of the arrested trio is unmasked in the image showing them standing.
The police uniforms also change colour between images -- blue in one and dark green in the other. Additionally, the officers’ fingers appear deformed in both images, a common flaw in AI-generated visuals.
Analyses of the images using AI detection tools Hive Moderation and InVID WeVerify (co-created by AFP) found a 99 percent likelihood that they are fabricated.
Further keyword searches found no credible news reports corroborating the alleged arrests.
According to the latest figures published from Spain's National Statistics Institute, more than seven million foreigners live in the country out of a total population of 49.4 million (archived here).
AFP Fact Check has previously debunked numerous claims about migration worldwide.
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