Fact check: Is this a photo of the Poland shooter?

This photo circulated online after a gunman in Krakow, Poland, killed six people and injured 15 others. But is the image authentic? Here's what we found. We dropped the photo into OpenAI's verification tool, which detected its SynthID watermark in the image. That means it's been created or edited using OpenAI. What it can't tell us is exactly which parts of the image have been manipulated. It originated from this Telegram channel. The name of it is the same as the shooter's name, but there's no evidence it's connected to the gunman. We found the channel was created on September 27th and indications it had a different name. The altered image shows a Ukrainian flag patch on this vest. Polish prosecutors have identified the gunman as 24-year-old Mychal Oksinski from southeastern Poland. There's no indication of any connection to Ukraine. Police said Oksinski was wearing military-style clothing, but did not mention any Ukrainian flag patch. And the prosecutor's office did say a flag was found in the gunman's room, but it's not the one you see in this image. Investigators found a yellow flag with a snake and the words, Don't tread on me on it, known as the Gadsden flag. It was first used during the American Revolution in the 18th century. When attacks like this happen and there's limited verified information, misinformation tends to spread quickly, faster than the truth. If you are seeing other photos or videos you'd like us to fact check, send us an email at [email protected].