Israeli Pilot Arrested in Pakistan – How Correct Are The Claims?

Israeli Pilot Arrested in Pakistan – True or Fake News? AnĀ image shared millions of times on Facebook depicted a Jerusalem-based newspaper reportingĀ the arrest of an Israeli pilot in Pakistan. The claim is false; the photo in the post shows an Israeli Air Force pilot who died in a helicopter crash six years ago.

Multiple Facebook posts, for example, thisĀ one published onĀ March 10, 2019, and sharedĀ more than 2,000 times since containsĀ what appears to be a screenshot of an article by Israeli newspaperĀ the Jerusalem Post.

In the purported screenshot, there is a photo of a man in military uniform standing with his family next to a plane.

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The manā€™s head has been circled in red, as has the articleā€™s headline ā€“ which says, in fragmented English, ā€œFamily Bids Farewell to Pilot Who Arrested by Pakistan Army After Crash The Fighter Jetā€.

TheĀ same image was shared hundreds of times elsewhere on Facebook, for example here and here.

Below is a screenshot of one of the misleading Facebook posts:

Screenshot of misleading Facebook post

Screenshot of misleading Facebook post

There is a logo saying ā€œPakistan Newsā€ overlaid on the purported screenshotā€™s top-left-hand corner and the caption under the photo reads: ā€œLieut-Col (res) Noam Ron with his family 370 (photo credit: Courtesy Ron family).ā€

The image also contains text in Urdu on a dark red backgroundĀ above the purported screenshot, which says: ā€œIsraeli newspaper confirmed the arrest of its pilot in Pakistan. Startling truth has come forward. Speculations died down. The pilot is in Pakistanā€™s custody.ā€

The screenshot is a doctored copy of thisĀ Jerusalem PostĀ article published on March 12, 2013, which contains the same photograph of the man and his family.

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The headline in the original article says: ā€œFamily bids farewellĀ to pilot who died in IAF crashā€. IAF stands for Israeli Air Force. The name of the reporter and the photo caption are the same.

Compared in the image below is the image in the misleading Facebook post (L) and a screenshot of the original article as it appears on a mobile screen (R):

Side by side comparison of fake and original screenshots

According to the Jerusalem Post, Lieutenant Colonel Noam Ron died along with his colleague Major Erez Flekser when theĀ helicopter they were flying crashed on March 12, 2013.

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