The claim
The photos show Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who recently attended the UN General Assembly, holding severed heads in the past.
Original review summary
The review finds that the photos show different people: the man holding severed heads is ISIS member Mohamed Elomar, not Ahmed al-Sharaa. It identifies al-Sharaa’s UN photo as genuine and says it was posted by the Syrian Presidency on 23 September 2025.[S1]
Additional context
The review says reports from 2014 featured the same image of Elomar posing with the heads of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad. [S1]
Research date:
Sources and attribution
- [S1] FACTLY original review
Original review · Retrieved October 16, 2026