October 17: an octogenarian couple attacked and robbed in Paris?

Two AI-generated images falsely depicting an elderly couple being stripped and robbed during the unrest in Paris on October 17 have circulated widely online, amassing millions of views. These images, amplified primarily by far-right accounts, fueled inflammatory narratives linking the alleged attack to Muslims, Jews, and broader concerns about the riots. The false photos were created using OpenAI tools and remain unverified, with no official confirmation of the supposed assault. The images purport to show an elderly couple in their 80s left nearly naked in the street after being allegedly attacked. One version of the image was posted on Sunday afternoon by a French-speaking user on X, described as “the most horrifying image of October 17th” and labeled a “warning signal for all of the West.” This post alone garnered nearly nine million views. In total, over 50,000 instances of the image in both French and English were recorded by TF1. The image was further disseminated by far-right figures such as American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who used it to assert that the rioters were not students but “Muslims and communists,” whom he accused of invading Western societies. This rhetoric echoes recent statements made by former US president Donald Trump. Technical analysis confirms these images were generated through AI. OpenAI's detection tool identified a watermark within the image, verifying its artificial creation. Additionally, the urban infrastructure depicted, such as specific types of street poles, does not match those found in Paris. Other inconsistencies include the woman's hand appearing to have only four fingers with a distorted thumb and one of the masked individuals seemingly possessing two heads. A later version of the image, supposedly of higher quality, still failed to resolve these issues, instead introducing new fabricated elements. Another image, purportedly showing the same couple being forcibly taken to Place de la République, was also circulated. It contains similar signs of AI generation and features architectural elements inconsistent with actual Parisian landmarks. An initial mention of the incident appeared on BFMTV. Journalist Dominique Rizet, specializing in police and justice matters, stated live on air that an elderly couple had been “robbed” and left “nearly nude on Place de la République.” He confirmed receiving this information from a police source at 8:47 PM on Saturday evening. However, the Paris prosecutor’s office told Libération’s fact-checking service that no reports of such an incident had been filed as of Monday, approximately 48 hours after the alleged occurrence. While the absence of formal complaints does not definitively prove the event did not happen, there is currently no verifiable evidence supporting the claim, neither from authorities nor from the images shared online.