Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the face of America's COVID-19 response throughout the pandemic, but an array of social media users recently claimed he is now behind bars.
The narrative originated April 10 with a story from Real Raw News, which has a history of publishing fabricated reporting. The story was shared nearly 2,000 times on Facebook within 10 days, and other users reiterated the claim with standalone Facebook posts as well.
Real Raw News claimed Fauci's car was followed by Special Forces in civilian vehicles who "drew weapons and ordered Fauci’s guards to toss their firearms out the window." The claim goes on to say the soldiers "dragged Fauci from the vehicle, subdued him and carted him off for processing.”
But Fauci has not been arrested. He conducted multiple media interviews after Real Raw news claimed he had been arrested.
USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.
Fact check: Fauci's 2004 comments on flu vaccine, natural immunity taken out of context
Special Forces did not arrest Fauci on April 9 as claimed.
For one, Fauci has made multiple live media appearances since that date. He was seen in an April 10 ABC News interview and an April 11 appearance on MSNBC. Other news organizations such as The Hill and The New York Times reported Fauci's remarks.
No legitimate news outlets or government entities reported an arrest of Fauci.
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