Sharp RAF Fairford arrest image was not an original photo, fact-check says

An image shared as a sharp photo of suspects arrested near RAF Fairford on Sept. 27, 2026, was not an original photograph. An OpenAI tool detected a SynthID watermark indicating manipulation; it was likely based on a blurry arrest photo online.

The image appeared in an X post claiming police had released a picture of five men, alongside jokes about uncertainty over their nationality. The post was satirical; a blurry version of the arrest photo had circulated on social media and appeared in media coverage.