Claim: 5,000 US Air Forces Just Landed to capture him!
Verdict: FALSE
Context: A viral Facebook post by Ransford Mann claimed that 5,000 US Air Forces had just landed to capture him. This claim spread rapidly following the sighting of a US Air Force aircraft landing at Freetown International Airport.
Evidence:
Statement from the US Embassy in Freetown:
The Public Affairs section of the US Embassy released a statement clarifying the situation: “We are aware of some misinformation about a U.S. Air Force plane that was seen landing at Lungi Airport. A plane landed for routine refuelling and promptly left Sierra Leone. Rumours of the plane landing in Sierra Leone for any other purpose are false.”
Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority:
The Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority provided the approved landing permit for the non-scheduled flight. The permit indicated that the flight was authorized only for a technical stop to refuel and not for any other purpose.
Conclusion: The claim that 5,000 US Air Forces landed in Sierra Leone to capture an individual is entirely false. The US Air Force plane was in Sierra Leone solely for routine refuelling and promptly departed afterwards. Both the US Embassy and the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority have confirmed that there were no other activities associated with the aircraft's presence in the country.
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