Photo of UAE Prez Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Edited, Linked to Epstein Files

The image, which originally shows former footballer Marouane Chamakh, was altered to show MBZ flanked by women.

An edited photo is being shared to falsely claim that it shows a real image of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as found in the Epstein files.

(Source: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

A photo which purportedly shows the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, widely referred to as MBZ, is being shared on social media.

The claim: The image, where MBZ is seen flanked by two women, is being shared to claim that he was "also caught in" files released in sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's case by the United States' Department of Justice (DOJ).

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archived versions of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here, here, and here.)

But...?: The image has been edited to include the Emirati monarch, making the claim misleading.

• The original photo shows French-Moroccan footballer Marouane Chamakh and could be traced back to at least 2012.

How did we find out the truth?: We ran a reverse image search on the photo, which led us to a Facebook post shared on 25 January 2012.

• The post's caption, which was in Arabic, loosely translates to, "Now I understand the secret behind Chamakh's poor performance in the match... those blonde bombshells... Chamakh didn't want to head the ball, he was afraid of damaging his forehand and he's out of his mind... and he wouldn't be sold in Gabon... haha (sic)."

The man was identified as Chamakh.

(Source: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

Other results included reports from sports websites, links here and here, which discussed the state of the Moroccan football team and carried the same image.

MBZ in the Epstein files: As per a report by Middle East Eye, the UAE President was indeed mentioned in Epstein-related documents released by the DoJ.

• Epstein reportedly discussed the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi with a man identified as Anas Al Rasheed, saying that MBZ had 'set up' Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman,

MBZ was mentioned in connection to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing.

(Source: Middle East Eye/Screenshot)

Conclusion: An edited photo is being falsely shared as one of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, released in the Epstein files.

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