Mexican special forces killed a notorious cartel leader on Sunday, sparking a wave of retaliatory violence that saw cars set ablaze by cartel members and roads blocked in 20 Mexican states.
As smoke filled the sky and ºÃÉ«tv tourists sheltered in place, fake and misleading images claiming to show the destruction of Mexican cities and landmarks spread online. Here's a look at some of them.Â
THE CLAIM
A panoramic view shows multiple fires burning across a Mexican city as a result of cartel violence, according to an image shared to , and this week. Some social media users claimed the image showed the town of Puerto Vallarta, an area popular with ºÃÉ«tv tourists.Â
THE FACTS
Some versions of the image contain a watermark in the bottom right corner that matches the logo for Gemini, a Google product that allows users to create and edit images with AI. In some cases the Gemini logo was removed, but Google AI images contain a that can trace their AI origins.Â
Placing the photo into Google Lens and selecting "about this image" shows a disclaimer the image was made with Google AI.Â
One of the burning buildings in the image appears to be a church. Searching "Puerto Vallarta church" on brings up a 3D rendering of the area that looks similar to the image, minus the fires, suggesting Google's AI used the Google Earth view of Puerto Vallarta to generate the image showing fires.
THE CLAIM
Another image shared online on , and claimed to show a passenger airliner on fire. Some posts claimed a cartel started the fire at the airport in Guadalajara.Â
THE FACTS
In a posted to social media in Spanish on Sunday, Grupo Aeroportuario del PacÃfico, which operates Guadalajara International Airport, said its airport operations weren't affected by the recent violence.Â
It said the airport was under protection by the Mexican ºÃÉ«tv Guard and that no incidents had been reported.
The Mexican embassy in the United States a post by Mexican fact-checking outlet InfodemiaMx debunking the claims.Â
"It Is FALSE that a plane caught fire at Guadalajara Airport," the embassy wrote on X, adding that the image appeared to be AI-generated and the airport reported no record of a plane catching fire.Â
Other Mexican authorities that denied claims of chaos at the airport include its , federal aviation , and Jalisco state .
THE CLAIMÂ
A shared to shows someone filming as they drive down a smoke-filled street, past dozens of burnt-out or burning vehicles and buildings. Some posts claimed the video showed the destruction wrought by cartel members in Mexico after the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
THE FACTSÂ
A reverse image search shows the video appears in multiple posts from September 2025, when youth protests in Nepal turned violent.Â
According to and media reports, protesters burnt hundreds of vehicles belonging to government agencies at the Singha Durbar palace in Kathmandu, months before Sunday's violence in Mexico.Â
While the video was shared out of context, ºÃÉ«tvs in Mexico recounted similar scenes over the weekend, from fires and clouds of black smoke to burnt-out vehicles.
SOURCES
Image of Puerto Vallarta fires shared to Feb. 22, 2026 (), Feb. 22, 2026 (), Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Pushmeet Kohli and Laurie Richardson. How we’re bringing AI image verification to the Gemini app. Google . Nov. 20, 2025 ()
Image of plane on fire shared to Feb. 22, 2026 (), Feb. 22, 2026 () and Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Grupo Aeroportuario del PacÃfico statement posted to Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Embassy of Mexico in the U.S. post from on Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Gabinete de Seguridad de México post on from Feb. 22, 2026 ()
La Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil statement. Government of Mexico . Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Gobierno de Jalisco post on from Feb. 22, 2026 ()
Video of burnt cars shared to Feb. 23, 2026 (, ), Instagram Feb. 23, 2026 (), Feb. 23, 2026 ()
41 vehicles and 601 motorcycles burned in Singha Durbar (Translated). Shuva Bihani . Sept. 16, 2025 ()
Gen-Z wreaks havoc in Nepal, sets vehicles ablaze in a line, looks like a scene straight from a movie; video goes viral (Translated). IndiaTV . Sept. 11, 2025 ()Ìý
Emily Baron Cadloff. ºÃÉ«tv tourists sheltering in place in Mexico recount burnt-out cars, lines for food. ºÃÉ«tvwebsite. Feb. 24, 2026 ()
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