Fact Check: These Images Of 'Pahalgam Terror Attack Victims' Are AI-Generated

(Trigger Warning: This article contains descriptions and images that may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.)

What is the claim?

On April 22, 2025, a deadly terrorist attack reportedly took place in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, a popular resort town in Jammu and Kashmir, India. As per reports, the attack resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people and left many others injured.

Following the attack, several images circulated on social media claiming to show victims of the attack. One widely shared photo shows multiple bodies lying on the ground in a smoky environment, with nearby individuals wearing protective masks.

A Facebook user shared the image, writing: "I am heartbroken and outraged by the cold-blooded killing of 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir today—an unspeakable act of barbarity carried out by an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (a Pakistan-backed terrorist group). These were lives full of dreams, laughter, and stories that will now remain forever untold (sic)."

Another image shows two individuals appearing lifeless on the ground, with a police officer sitting beside them. An X (formerly Twitter) user posted both photos, writing: "These photos are heartbreaking. Dead bodies of Hindus are lying in Pahalgam, Kashmir, the heaven on earth. Is this the real Kashmiriyat and democracy? Count these dead bodies and tell who is from PDA, who is OBC, Dalit, and upper caste. Because that’s what you count in politics, right? #Pahalgam #PahalgamTerroristAttack (translated from Hindi)."

Archived versions of similar posts are available here, here, here, and here.

However, we found that both the images, purporting to show bodies of the victims of the Pahalgam attack, were artificially generated.

What are the facts?

Photo of several bodies on the ground

Upon closer examination, the image shows several signs of being artificially generated. The bodies lack realistic human anatomy—limbs are oddly shaped, and some heads appear as indistinct blobs. The smoke in the scene also seems unnaturally dispersed, lacking a logical source or pattern.

We ran the image through multiple AI content detection tools to validate these observations. Hive Moderation flagged the image as 94.7 percent likely to be AI-generated. Other tools, including IsItAIand Sightengine, also reported high confidence scores, indicating that the image is AI-generated.

Photo of two men on the ground and a policeman

The second image contains similar irregularities. The faces of the individuals appear smudged and distorted. The hand and lips of the person in blue clothing look unnatural, and another individual’s face in the background is heavily distorted, suggesting AI manipulation.

Hive’s AI image detector tool rated the image as 86.4 percent likely to be AI-generated. IsItAI and Sightengine also classified it as AI-generated, with 99 percent confidence scores.

Furthermore, several versions of these images include a "Meta AI" watermark in the bottom right corner, strongly indicating the use of AI tools in their creation.

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