Lucy Gilder
BBC Verify journalist

Image source, Reuters

During his Minneapolis news conference earlier, US border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration “has absolutely focused on identifying removable aliens that pose a public safety threat and national security threats”.

“The numbers prove it, the data proves it,” he added.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) publishes figures, external on the number of detained illegal migrants by security level. A detainee’s security risk is based on public safety factors such as previous criminal convictions, disciplinary record and other management concerns.

There are four categories of security risk: A=low, B=medium low, C=medium high and D=high.

At the end of December, more than half of the nearly 66,000 ICE detainees at that time were classified as low security risks (A).

The highest security category (D) had the lowest number of detainees at 6,486.

The same data shows half of detainees around that time had a criminal charge or conviction.

Peter Mwai
BBC Verify senior journalist, reporting from Nairobi

Image source, X

Following reports of heavy gunfire and blasts around the main airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger, I have now verified images showing motorcycles and guns said to have been used by the attackers.

Through matching features seen in the footage including trees and buildings with satellite imagery on Google, I can say the pictures were taken near the Talladje neighbourhood west of the Diori Hamani International Airport. A black and white flag with Arabic writing is visible on one of the motorbikes.

BBC Monitoring, which tracks jihadist activity, has confirmed it is the Shahada flag, which shows the Muslim declaration of faith. This flag is used by both the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State group use the flag.

It isn’t possible to say which group carried out today’s attack. I’m currently checking another image that is said to show the bodies of five dead attackers. The Niger government says the situation is under control.

Alex Murray
BBC Verify journalist

We’re continuing to track US military movements in the Gulf and wider Middle East amid speculation of an impending American attack on Iran.

However, it’s worth noting that not every ship or plane seen in the area might be there for some future action - they could be taking part in planned maneuvers.

“It should be noted that there are exercises in Saudi Arabia so some of the moves could be linked to that activity, but the exercise could equally be a cover for additional movement into the region,” according to MacKenzie Intelligence.

Similarly, ship and flight-tracking researcher Steffan Watkins told BBC Verify that Iran is carrying out live fire drills near the Strait of Hormuz at the moment.

“These operations began on 27 January and will end today. Part of these drills has included the deployment of the IRIS Shahid Bagheri drone carrier within its territorial waters,” Watkins said.

Image source, Sepahnews via EPA

Anthony Reuben
BBC Verify senior journalist

The Conservatives’ shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, has claimed the government's “one-in one-out” deal with France on small boat arrivals “saw 41,000 arrive and only 281 removed".

It is correct to say there were 41,472 arrivals in 2025. But the one-in one-out deal - which means for each person returned to France, the UK accepts someone with a case for protection as a refugee who has not attempted to cross the Channel - was only announced in August, with the first person returned to France on 18 September.

It’s since then that the 281 people have been removed from the UK, with 350 arriving.

Emma Pengelly and Kayleen Devlin
BBC Verify

We've reviewed flight-tracking data showing the final movements of a passenger plane that crashed in north-eastern Colombia killing 15 people on board.

There were two crew and 13 passengers on the Beechcraft 1900 operated by the country’s state-run airline Satena when it came down.

We can’t see any significant changes in the aircraft’s course before tracking data stops. Speed and altitude data provided by Flightradar24 shows it was descending and slowing down about 10 minutes before its scheduled landing in Ocaña.

It was possible to find the flight on the tracking website by putting in details provided by the airline including the aircraft’s registration HK-4709, departure airport and time.

Satena said it lost contact some 12 minutes after take off which also matches information from Flightradar24.

Aircraft wreckage has been found in a mountainous part of Playa de Belen and the airline says an investigation is under way.

Thomas Copeland
BBC Verify Live journalist

AI-generated images are being shared online falsely claiming to show evidence that an attack on Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar was staged.

The AI fake pictures have had more than a million views online and have been used to falsely claim that Omar paid the man who sprayed her with liquid during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged with third-degree assault and is being held in custody, the local sheriff's office said.

The AI images feature a watermark with the letters DFF and reverse image searches suggest they were created by a parody account on X called DFF with the bio – “Left, Right, we find em all and expose via high quality AI videos and memes”.

As well as these visible watermarks, the images also feature digital watermarks identified by Google’s own SynthID detector that tells us they were generated or edited by one of the company’s AI tools.

The quality of image generation is high and there are few obvious signs of AI - but a closer look reveals:

• The text on the water bottle and the man’s jacket appear scrambled - a common feature of AI text-to-image generators
• Kazmierczak’s clothes don’t match what he was seen wearing in genuine footage of the attack

Authorities have not yet identified the liquid sprayed at Omar, but according to a BBC journalist in the room, it had a sour smell similar to a chemical product.

You can see genuine video showing what happened here.

Throughout the week, BBC Verify has been analysing bystander footage capturing the moments before the killing of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in the US city of Minneapolis on Saturday.

We’ve gathered multiple angles of the incident to piece together a detailed picture of what happened.

Our analysis editor, Ros Atkins, talks through how the shooting unfolded, frame by frame, in a YouTube special.

The video, which does contain distressing images, can be seen here, external.

YouTube special produced by Tom Joyner. Graphics by Mesut Ersoz.

Matt Murphy
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A US Navy drone has been operating over the Gulf near the coast of Iran since the early hours of this morning, Flightradar24 tracking data shows.

The MQ-4C Triton - an unmanned surveillance drone - left a base in Abu Dhabi late last night and has been flying over the Strait of Hormuz for hours.

Triton drones have been operating in the Strait on a daily basis since Monday. US Navy P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft have also be seen on tracking sites operating nearby in recent days.

Image source, FlightRadar24

It's unclear what exactly the aircraft are monitoring, but satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify have already shown that Tehran has deployed the drone-carrying ship IRIS Shahid Bagheri - which entered service last year - to the Strait of Hormuz.

Bagheri is a converted civilian ship which can launch swarms of drones and helicopters and is said to have some short-range air defence systems.

Peter Mwai
BBC Verify senior journalist, reporting from Nairobi

Image source, X

I’ve been checking reports of heavy gunfire and explosions around the main international airport in Niger’s capital Niamey this morning.

I looked at several videos posted on social media that show lights illuminating the night sky and capture the sound of what appears to be heavy explosions.

In another video, filmed inside the airport, people appear to take cover inside one of the airport buildings.

I verified the footage by matching the interior of the building and the duty-free shop to images on the website of a company involved in managing the airport.

Witnesses, who spoke to local media outlets, say the shooting began around midnight and continued for some time.

An official in Niger’s foreign affairs ministry was reported by the Anadolu news agency as saying the situation was under control without giving further details.

Niger is led by Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani who took power in a coup in July 2023.

The country has faced persistent insecurity and attacks in recent years mainly from jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and so-called Islamic State. Strategic sites such as airports are heavily guarded.

Joshua Cheetham, Matt Murphy and Barbara Metzler
BBC Verify

Image source, Getty Images

Another US warship has arrived in the Middle East, ship-tracking data shows, as speculation continues to grow that the US could launch new strikes on Iran.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black was tracked sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Gulf on Wednesday, tracking site MarineTraffic showed.

At least 10 US warships are now believed to be in the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

A US official confirmed to BBC Verify on Tuesday that the carrier is in the region but it hasn't appeared on tracking sites for more than a week.

However, early this morning BBC Verify tracked a US Navy Osprey aircraft that was seen in the Gulf heading towards Oman. Ospreys are a tiltrotor transport aircraft that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly like a plane and are known to operate from the Abraham Lincoln.

BBC Verify also tracked an Osprey on Tuesday which started broadcasting its position off the coast of Oman which might suggest the US carrier could be in the area.

Rob Corp
BBC Verify Live editor

We start today with fresh insights into the apparent US military build-up in the Middle East. Washington has been raising the pressure on Tehran over the recent crackdown on country-wide protests and continuing concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Ship-tracking shows another American warship - the destroyer USS Delbert D Black - is now in the region having previously been in the Mediterranean. We’re also across flight-tracking resources to see what additional US military aircraft are in or heading to the Middle East.

Elsewhere, we’ve verified videos shared online following reports of gunfire and explosions at the main airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger. It’s not clear what caused the explosions but officials have reportedly said the situation is under control.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and China’s President Xi Jinping are expected to sign a "border security pact" in Beijing today. Our fact-check team is looking into the role of Chinese firms in providing the engines for small boats that bring migrants across the English Channel.