The truth behind viral ‘Epstein bought Turkish kids’ claim
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Social media posts falsely claim Jeffrey Epstein bought Turkish children after 1999 earthquake.
- Image actually dates to 1975 Vietnam evacuation operation, not Turkey or Epstein.
A viral claim circulating on social media alleged that billionaire Jeffrey Epstein abducted children from Turkey after the 1999 earthquake for $300 each. The posts included an image and video showing infants placed in cardboard boxes, which users falsely linked to Epstein’s sexual crimes.
BREAKING: Epstein confessor claims girls were kidnapped from Turkey during the 1999 earthquake, saying they were paid $300 for every child abducted. pic.twitter.com/bF2XbDPr8V
— The Middle East (@A_M_R_M1) February 2, 2026
They kidnapped girls from Turkey during the 1999 earthquake
— Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) February 1, 2026
Epstein confessor: We were getting $300 for every child we kidnapped#EpsteinFiles #EpsteinTrumpFiles #Epstein
pic.twitter.com/MBk1h2HOHW
The original posts, in Turkish, garnered millions of views before being translated and shared globally. Misinformation spread included out-of-context references to Turkish politicians warning about child abductions after the 2023 earthquake, combined with the 1999 earthquake to create false credibility.
6 Şubat 2023’de meydana gelen deprem sonrası, Meral Akşenerin “çocuklar kaçırılmasın” uyarısı, bugün ortaya saçılan Epstein dosyaları ile büyük bir haklılık kazandı. pic.twitter.com/qudYWCLFpB
— Lütfü Türkkan (@LutfuTurkkan) February 2, 2026
Fact check
Reverse image searches traced the image to the official US military archives. The photograph was posted on June 22, 2017, by Joint Base Charleston and documents an event from 1975, two decades before the 1999 earthquake in Turkey.
The image shows a US humanitarian operation during the final days of the Vietnam War, known as the “Operation Babylift”, in which infants were evacuated from Saigon to the Philippines and Guam. Cardboard boxes were used temporarily to hold the children due to the lack of proper cribs or seats on crowded military cargo planes.
Conclusion
The viral claim linking Epstein to Turkish children in boxes is completely false. The image predates Epstein’s crimes by decades and depicts a US military evacuation, not any criminal activity.
No evidence supports any connection between Epstein and children in Turkey. The posts are an example of how historical photos can be misrepresented to support misleading narratives.
