Venezuelan Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez claimed on Tuesday evening that the video of the drug-laden vessel struck in international waters by the United States is “fake,” and was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United Strikes carried out a precision strike against a vessel loaded with drugs in international waters, killing 11 members of the Tren de Aragua terrorist organization. President Trump published footage of the strike in a Truth Social post, and explained that “the strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.”
Hours after the video was published, Venezuelan Communications Minister Ñáñez, who also serves as socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro’s “Vice President of Communications and Culture,” went on several social media platforms to “debunk” the video as “fake.”
Ñáñez, who did not present any evidence to substantiate his claims, said that the allegedly “fake” video is “proof” of accusations that Nicolás Maduro levied against U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday.
Maduro, during an international press conference, claimed that Rubio is seeking to “stain” Trump’s hands with blood from a purported “invasion” of Venezuela.
Ñáñez based his accusations against the video by quoting an “analysis” he supposedly made using Google’s Gemini AI assistant.
“It seems that Marco Rubio continues to lie to his president: after putting him in a dead end, he now gives him a video with AI (as verified) as ‘proof.’ What does Gemini say about this video?” Ñáñez wrote on social media. He said that while he “cannot confirm with certainty the exact tools used, several elements suggest that it was generated by A.I.”
“The video shows a ship being attacked and then exploding in a way that looks like a simplified, almost cartoonish animation rather than a realistic depiction of an explosion,” Ñáñez wrote, quoting the purported “analysis” he made using Google’s AI solution.
“The video contains motion artifacts and a lack of realistic detail, which is common in AI-generated videos. The water, in particular, looks very stylized and unnatural,” he said.
“The content of the video appears to be composed of different elements, including the text “UNCLASSIFIED” and a watermark of unknown origin. These elements, along with the lack of detail, are common in AI-generated content,” he continued.
“This type of video, often referred to as a deepfake or AI-generated video, is becoming increasingly common. It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as entertainment, disinformation, or artistic expression,” he said.
Ñáñez concluded his rant saying, “Enough already, Marco Rubio, with encouraging war and trying to get President Donald Trump’s hands dirty with blood.”
The minister published copies of the “analysis” of the video on his official accounts on Telegram, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). The post marked his return to X a year after Nicolás Maduro ordered a still-active “ten day” ban of the social media platform in August in the wake of the fraudulent July 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.
Although Ñáñez appeared to have been able to post his rant on Twitter with ease, access to X remains highly restricted in the country, according to the Venezuelan anti-censorship initiative VE sin Filtro (“Venezuela without filters”).
Nicolás Maduro and several members of his socialist regime have repeatedly claimed that the United States’ ongoing efforts to combat drug cartels in Caribbean international waters are instead part of a scheme to “invade” Venezuela and oust him from power.
On Tuesday, the dictator threatened the United States with an “armed struggle” should the alleged invasion occur.
Maduro once again denied the multiple narco-terrorism charges that the United States has accused him of and instead claimed that they are part of an alleged “narrative,” accusing Sec. Rubio of seeking to “stain” President Trump’s hands with blood through the purported “invasion” of Venezuela.
Although Maduro has not publicly commented on the video at press time, the socialist dictator doubled down on his accusations against Sec. Rubio during a Tuesday mandatory regime broadcast. Maduro, without evidence, once again denounced the U.S. “narrative.”
“They [the U.S.] lie and create Hollywood-style narratives that people used to believe, always portraying themselves as the good guys and us as the bad guys,” he said.
Maduro further claimed that Sec. Rubio and an alleged “Miami mafia” are instigating a “campaign of persecution against Venezuelan migrants and of fomenting destabilizing actions against the country.”
According to Maduro, Sec. Rubio, whom he accused of being a “fascist,” is the “real power behind the attacks against Venezuela in his eagerness to stain the Trump name with blood.”
“They are sending those eight warships because they want to invent a story that no one believes. The youth of the United States do not believe the lies… We know that Marco Rubio is the one in charge in the White House, but I say to the Trump family that the Miami mafia wants to get President Donald Trump’s hands bloody,” Maduro said during the broadcast.
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