Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official known for exposing a covert $22-million UFO program, recently unveiled what he described as a photo of a UFO 'mothership' during a private event in Philadelphia.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official known for exposing a covert $22-million UFO program, recently unveiled what he described as a photo of a UFO 'mothership' during a private event in Philadelphia. Elizondo, who previously led the military's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, presented the image at The City Winery on October 28, 2024, asserting it resembled the iconic craft from Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
🧵 In a recent private ticketed event, former DoD counterintelligence agent Luis Elizondo showed this photo of a "UFO" from Romania in 2022.
He called it a "real photo" and references it being described as a "mothership" like the one in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 👇 pic.twitter.com/jivBby0fGh
Elizondo told attendees that the image was captured in Romania in 2022, allegedly by the US Embassy, and claimed it depicted a "huge mini city floating in the sky." However, the image has already faced intense scrutiny from both skeptics and UFO enthusiasts.
John Greenewald Jr., a government transparency advocate, traced the photo back to a September 2023 post in a Facebook group titled "Mysterious Ancient Discoveries." Greenewald stated he conducted a reverse image search and found that the photo had garnered significant attention online, with over 182,000 likes and more than 23,700 comments. His findings suggested the photo likely originated from the reflection of an indoor chandelier rather than being taken from the US Embassy.
Critics, including veteran Air Force Staff Sergeant Jeremy McGowan, have voiced concerns about Elizondo's credibility. McGowan, who himself experienced a UFO encounter during his military service, claimed Elizondo has a history of exaggerating or fabricating information. "I witnessed him exaggerate or outright fabricate information that simply wasn't true," McGowan said, highlighting past instances where Elizondo presented questionable footage as classified materials.
Elizondo's claims come amid ongoing interest and reports regarding UFOs and potential 'motherships' observed near sensitive military sites. Despite credible federal investigations into UFO sightings over military bases, many enthusiasts expressed frustration at Elizondo's presentation, fearing it undermined serious discussions about UFO phenomena.
One Reddit user lamented that Elizondo is "using us as pawns to line his pockets," referencing his successful book sales and paid speaking engagements.
In response to the backlash, Elizondo attributed the confusion regarding the photo's origin to a "friend in Government" who provided him the image. Yet, skeptics like McGowan remain unconvinced, arguing that Elizondo’s mistakes reflect a pattern of behavior rather than isolated incidents.