A photo purporting to show accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt shows clear signs that it is fake and AI-generated, according to an analysis by The Post and Storyful.
The photo has been making rounds on social media, inflaming outrageous anti-Israel and antisemitic conspiracy theories around the attempted assassination of President Trump on Saturday night.
It appeared to show 31-year-old Allen lounging in an armchair holding a beer in one hand while flashing the peace sign with the other — while wearing an Israel Defense Force (IDF) crest on his chest.
But a close look at the images reveals multiple inconsistencies that are often seen in AI-generated imags.
For example, a mole that should be on Allen’s temple is missing in the purported IDF photo. The AI image shows a mole on his cheek that doesn’t exist in real images of him.
Verified photos of Allen also show the basic structure of his ears do not match up with the ears in the IDF image, which is also the case for his fingers.
The supposed IDF image also has several blatant errors along Allen’s waistline — on the right side of the image it appears to blend with the chair’s armrest, while on the left side of the photo, his pants seem to continue well beyond where his torso should meet up with his hip.
And the rim of the beer can in Allen’s hand also appears to blend with his skin at one point.
Even the IDF logo in the image appears incorrectly rendered — with the “N” and “S” in “Defense” blending together and the “N” appearing more like a “U.”
Numerous AI-detection services also found the photo had likely been generated by AI.
The Saturday attempt on Trump’s life is the third since he was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in 2024, and each one has spawned a slew of outrageous conspiracy theories — many driven by the same antisemitic narratives that bigots have clung to for centuries.
Allen allegedly attempted to charge through a security checkpoint at Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday, but was tackled by security in the event hotel’s hallway before he could enter the room.
A Secret Service agent fired five shots, but each one missed. Allen allegedly got a shot off and hit an agent in the chest before he was tackled. The agent was saved by a bullet-proof vest.
The president and numerous White House officials were evacuated safely from the event.
