Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify Live journalist

We’ve covered a lot on today’s BBC Verify Live - here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve been reporting on.

After Saturday’s deadly shooting by a federal agent in Minneapolis we’ve seen “AI-enhanced” images of the incident go viral and verified footage showing a very close-up view of what happened.

Here in the UK, we’ve been digging into the data on police numbers as major changes to policing in England and Wales are announced.

Plus, we’ve been tracking two dark fleet tankers sailing erratically in the Mediterranean and verifying footage of a drone strike on a high-rise residential building in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

We’ll be back with more from BBC Verify tomorrow.

Benedict Garman and Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify

We’ve been analysing footage taken right next to where Alex Pretti was shot dead that has given us a detailed and close-up view of what happened before, during and after the incident.

The footage is about nine minutes in length and was filmed from the front seat of a stationary car right next to where Pretti was killed. At times, the driver has her window down and some of what the federal agents were shouting is audible.

Early in the footage we hear Pretti attempting to intervene as a federal agent warns two people to stay back. “Do not push them into the traffic”, Pretti shouts. The agent appears to reply: “I’m pushing them away from the traffic.” The agent is then seen through the windscreen of the car forcefully pushing three people including Pretti.

Pretti is then pepper-sprayed and more agents arrive to try and wrestle him to the ground. Someone shouts “gun, gun, gun” seconds before the first shot rings out and we catch a glimpse of an agent with their gun drawn.

Image source, TikTok

About 25 seconds after the final gunshot two agents approach Pretti’s body. In a separate video one of them is heard saying “where’s the gun?” and from this view we hear agents saying "I've got the gun!" "You've got the gun?" "I've got the gun".

After multiple shouts for a medic an agent runs towards Pretti’s body and slips on the ice.

The driver of the car is directed by the agents to stop recording and leave. As the car pulls away there are four agents around Pretti’s body. Some members of the public can be heard shouting “murderers”.

The driver leaves the scene but later gets out of the car and runs back. Near the scene a woman is kneeling on the ground washing her eyes with water. Police begin cordoning off the street with yellow tape.

The uploader of the video said she has made a statement to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and submitted the footage as evidence.

Sherie Ryder
BBC Verify journalist

I’ve been checking on footage that has been shared on social media this afternoon of what appears to be a vehicle on fire on a main road in Lebanon.

It’s being claimed this is the result of an Israeli strike that took place in Tyre, a coastal city in southern Lebanon.

Looking at an image and a short clip – both at slightly different angles - we spotted a sign for a popular chicken restaurant franchise called al-Abdallah, along with a blue sign for AUCE - the American University of Culture and Education which is based in several countries.

When we checked al-Abdallah’s website, we were able find a branch in Tyre and pinpoint its location using Google Maps. Among images uploaded to Google by customers of the same restaurant we saw a photo where the blue Auce sign can be seen outside a window.

Reverse image searches confirmed the footage had not been published before today. We also used our artificial intelligence detector to make sure the footage was not AI-generated.

Sherie Ryder and Kumar Malhotra
BBC Verify

Image source, X

We’ve been looking into reports that Russia has begun withdrawing from an air base at Qamishli in north-eastern Syria near the Turkish border.

In recent weeks, the Syrian government has made major advances into areas previously held by Kurdish-led militias and is reported to want Russian forces based at Qamishli to leave, according to Reuters news agency., external

Video posted online shows movements of Russian military personnel and equipment at the airport, although we can’t confirm they are actually leaving.

In one video we matched the buildings and other features of the airport to Google Earth imagery. A Russian flag can clearly be seen flying above a moving vehicle inside the airport perimeter.

Another video shows the open end of what appears to be a Russian cargo plane parked on a runway with a vehicle behind it that could be about to be loaded.

We checked that this footage - from a Kurdish TV station - was new.

Russia had a significant military presence in Syria but after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad there was evidence of it preparing for a partial withdrawal or re-deployment of its forces at two bases near the Syrian coast.

A report by the UK-based Royal United Services Institute last November said Russia had been reinforcing its presence at Qamishli. , external

Anthony Reuben
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander has defended the Labour Party’s decision not to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to stand for election to Parliament in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Under Labour rules if Burnham had been elected to Westminster he would have had to resign - triggering a by-election for the mayoralty.

Alexander told BBC Radio 4 Today that would be “about the size of 20 parliamentary by-elections happening at once”.

It’s actually more than that.

In the last mayoral election in Greater Manchester in 2024 there were 2,088,644 people eligible to vote, external.

In the 2024 general election, the Boundary Commission for England, external set the electoral quota at 73,393 - the average number of eligible voters for each English constituency (bar a couple).

That means the number of people allowed to vote in the Greater Manchester mayoral election in 2024 was more than 28 times that of a parliamentary constituency in the same year.

Anthony Reuben
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, PA Media

Over the weekend, Labour’s decision making body the National Executive Committee (NEC) decided that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham would not be allowed to stand in the upcoming parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton.

Labour’s NEC said it wanted to "avoid an unnecessary mayoral election which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers' money and resources".

Labour Party rules mean, external that Burnham could not remain as mayor and be a Member of Parliament at the same time.

But couldn't the deputy mayor take over until the next mayoral election, which is due in May 2028?

Not according to the legislation - the Combined Authorities (Mayors) Filling of Vacancies Order, external.

It says that if the current mayor resigns more than six months before the end of their term then there has to be a by-election.

Burnham has been mayor for almost one year and nine months of his four-year term.

Rob Corp
BBC Verify Live editor

We’re keen to hear what you think the BBC Verify team should be looking into.

We're interested in investigating claims you may've seen online in your social feeds. We're also keen to know if you've think an image may have been made using artificial intelligence to spread disinformation.

You can also get in touch with BBC Verify if you've got a question about how we verify video posted online or work with satellite imagery.

You can send your suggestions to the team here.

Joshua Cheetham
BBC Verify journalist

We’re continuing to look at a so-called “dark fleet” oil tanker - the Chariot Tide - which has been displaying some unusual behaviour in the Mediterranean.

Tracking data from MarineTraffic shows it left northern Russia before sailing through the Baltic and south towards the Strait of Gibraltar, signalling it was travelling to Tangier, Morocco.

As it approached the Strait of Gibraltar on 22 January, the 18-year-old ship began signalling “Not Under Command”. We can see four tug boats sailed around it as it travelled east through the strait at low speed.

On 24 January, tracking shows it making looping movements in the Mediterranean before continuing east at low speed.

The reason for this is unclear. Mark Douglas, an analyst at Starboard Maritime Intelligence, says its direction of travel is different from where the ship is pointing, suggesting that it might be being carried by strong winds.

Image source, Starboard Maritime Intelligence

A second vessel - named Progress - has also recently signalled “Not Under Command” while in the Mediterranean. Douglas says records show this has been updated to “In Casualty or Repairing”.

Satellite imagery shows that it, too, is pointing in a different direction to where it’s actually travelling.

Michelle Bockmann, senior analyst at Windward, says it’s likely that Progress has been heading towards India or China with Russian crude oil.

Meanwhile, Chariot Tide is being shadowed in international waters by a Spanish search and rescue vessel.

Bockmann says Chariot Tide is falsely flagged to Mozambique and like many dark fleet ships is uninsured. If an oil spill takes place this complicates who would pay for the cleanup.

“The dark fleet is an accident waiting to happen, and it's unsurprising, in one respect, that we're seeing vessels having mechanical difficulties,” says Bockmann.

Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify Live journalist

Alongside real footage from Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis, we’ve also been tracking the spread of images of the incident that have been “enhanced” using artificial intelligence and gathered tens of millions of views online.

Most of these “AI-enhanced” images are based on a single frame from a real video of the shooting, where the victim Alex Pretti is seen falling to the ground next to a federal agent holding a handgun.

As you can see, the rough composition of the scene in the AI-enhanced images appears to be accurate but there are signs of AI-manipulation. For example, you can see the head of the agent kneeling on the ground has been erased.

“AI-enhancement tools don’t have some privileged knowledge of the reality that lies beneath a low-quality image. Instead, they approximate what an enhanced version of an image could look like,” warns generative-AI expert Henry Ajder.

We’ve reported before on AI images attempting to “unmask” the US agent involved in the shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis this month.

“The risk is people confuse AI-enhancement, which is effectively a prediction, with new knowledge,” Ajder told BBC Verify.

Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify Live journalist

We’ve been looking into false claims being made online that a picture of a gun removed from Alex Pretti was posted on the internet days before the shooting.

This false claim has gathered millions of views but originates from a misleading screenshot of a reverse image search using the Google Lens tool.

A reverse image search is when you upload an image to a search engine that checks if it has appeared on the internet before.

After Saturday’s shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a picture of a gun removed from the man.

Some online put this picture into Google Lens which found a search result seemingly from five days ago, as you can see below. This screenshot has then been used to claim that the picture is fake.

But the interpretation of the search result in the screenshot is incorrect.

The time and date in Google Lens search results shows when a page was first published online - in this case a Reddit thread that began on Monday 19 January.

But the picture of the gun wasn’t posted on that thread until after Saturday’s shooting.

For more on reverse images searching and how we use it at BBC Verify, click here to read our quick guide.

Lucy Gilder
BBC Verify journalist

Image source, EPA

After the second fatal shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis by federal agents, we’ve been looking at the training and accountability of officers taking part in immigration enforcement.

The use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) is one way some US law enforcement agencies can be held accountable for their actions. The cameras record images and sound which can later be used as evidence in cases involving officers.

In March 2024, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, external, external(ICE), external said that 1,600 cameras would be deployed, external under the first phase of a pilot programme launched during Joe Biden’s presidency.

There is no regularly published data on how many ICE officers currently carry BWCs, or how frequently they’re used.

But there is some evidence suggesting the Trump administration might be trying to roll back their deployment.

n the day he returned to the White House in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order rescinding a, external 2021, external Biden-era law, external that instructed federal law enforcement agencies to ensure “Appropriate Use of Body-Worn Cameras”.

And in its budget proposal, external for the 2025-26 financial year, ICE requested 19 job cuts to its BWC programme. The proposal does not provide a reason for this reduction.

Tamara Kovacevic
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, PA Media

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce plans for major changes to policing in England and Wales when she speaks in the Commons later.

Ahead of her announcement, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp posted on X, external: “Police numbers are falling under Labour - having hit record levels in March 2024”

According to the latest Home Office figures, external, in March 2025 there were 146,442 full time-equivalent (FTE) police officers in England and Wales - a decrease of 1,303 or 0.9% on the March 2024 peak.

Some of this period was when the Conservatives were in government before Labour won power in July 2024.

In its 2024 election manifesto, Labour pledged 13,000 more neighbourhood police by 2029 and the Home Office says, external “every community will have a named, contactable officer to fight shoplifting, drug dealing, phone theft and anti-social behaviour”.

In March 2025, external, there were 17,175 FTE neighbourhood policing personnel, an increase of 214 or 1.3% from 31 March 2024.

Image source, MarineTraffic

This morning we’re looking into two “dark fleet” oil tankers which ship-tracking shows have been sailing erratically in the Mediterranean.

Overnight, north of Algeria, a ship called the Progress briefly signalled on its onboard tracker that it was “Not Under Command”. This is typically broadcast when a ship is unable to manoeuvre. There can be many reasons for this, including engine failure, rudder issues, or some other kind of damage.

Progress has since changed its status to “Under way Using Engine” and says it is sailing to Port Said, Egypt, laden with oil.

Elsewhere, near the Strait of Gibraltar, another ship called Chariot Tide began signalling “Not Under Command” on 22 January. It then sailed erratically east for several days afterwards, before changing its signal to “Underway Using Engine” on 25 January and travelling eastwards. For a while several tug boats were sailing nearby which may have been supporting it.

We’re speaking to experts to find out what may have happened.

Both ships are under sanctions for illicit oil trading and like many ships in the “dark fleet” they are relatively old. Older vessels are typically cheaper to buy but need additional maintenance to remain operational.

Sherie Ryder
BBC Verify journalist

Image source, X

We’ve been checking footage of a reported drone strike on a high-rise residential building in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Sunday.

The drone is seen to bank and turn towards the apartment block before it hits.

We could verify that the building is in the north of the city by slowing down the footage and looking for features that we could check against street view mapping by Google and the Russian search engine Yandex.

A sign saying Profi Store could be seen in the foreground so we checked the company’s website to see where it has branches in Kharkiv. Given they have three shops in the city we could check each using online maps which brought us to the street where this block is. We can also see the Saltivska Metro station and tram stop.

Head of Kharkiv region Oleg Synegubov confirmed on his Telegram account, external that an 80-year-old woman had been injured in the attack.

We carried out reverse-image searches to make sure the footage was recent and put the clip into our AI checker to confirm it hadn’t been artificially generated or manipulated.

Additional verification by Olga Robinson and Rob Corp

Rob Corp
BBC Verify Live editor

Good morning.

Dramatic footage has emerged of a drone apparently striking an apartment building in the city of Kharkiv in north-east Ukraine. We’re checking the footage is genuine and will bring you more on that shortly.

Having worked on the shooting of Alex Pretti by US federal agents in Minneapolis through the weekend BBC Verify is continuing to investigate what happened on Saturday. You can see the results of our work so far in this video from Ros Atkins. We’ll also explain how we gathered, verified and analysed material of the incident.

BBC Verify has also seen examples of social media users using artificial intelligence to try and enhance videos of the shooting. We’ll look into those and explain how AI-enhancement works and how it can sometimes give flawed results.

Elsewhere we’re expecting an announcement from the UK government later on plans to overhaul policing in England and Wales and our fact-check team will be listening to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.