Footage of Indian's arrest in Iran for spying is AI-generated
- Published on March 31, 2026 at 10:00
- Updated on March 31, 2026 at 10:17
- 2 min read
- By Eyamin SAJID, AFP Bangladesh
Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds of people accused of spying for Israel and the United States, but footage circulating online does not show an Indian citizen taken into custody in Tehran. The clip contains visual inconsistencies indicative of fabrication, and its visuals are flagged by a detection tool as likely AI-generated.
"An Indian citizen was arrested in Tehran for alleged spying," reads a Bengali-language Facebook post shared on March 16, 2026.
A 13-second video attached to the post shows uniformed men trying to subdue a person on a busy street as he screams, "Let me go, I did not do anything" in Hindi and English.
Iran has arrested hundreds of people suspected of collaborating with Israel and the United States, according to local media reports (archived link).
Sweden's foreign minister also said on March 18 that Iran had executed a Swedish citizen for spying for Israel, the first since the Middle East war broke out in February 2026.
Another Swedish-Iranian, Ahmadreza Djalali, has been imprisoned in Iran for nearly 10 years. He was convicted in 2017 of collaborating with Israel's Mossad spy agency.
The video, along with screengrabs, has circulated on Facebook with the false claim, but a closer inspection found visual errors and inconsistencies indicating the footage was made with AI -- such as one of the men's awkward movements and a car's disappearing doorframe.
The outline of a white car passing in the background can also be seen despite being blocked by the black car in the foreground.
Further analysis of the video on the Hive Moderation detector tool found there is a high probability that the footage was fabricated.
As of March 31, AFP cannot find credible news reports of an Indian citizen arrested in Tehran on espionage charges.
AFP has debunked a wave of misinformation related to the Middle East war.
Updated summary for clarity.March 31, 2026 Updated summary for clarity.
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