FACT CHECK: Contrary To Claim, Threads Post Does Not Show Recent Mugshot Of P. Diddy
A viral post shared on Threads claims to show a recent mugshot of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Post by @j.j.fadView on Threads
Verdict: False
The image is not recent but stems from Combs’ 1999 arrest for firing a gun inside a Manhattan nightclub and can be found on Getty Images.
Fact Check:
Combs, who is currently incarcerated at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, is on suicide watch, according to Newsweek. The measure is “standard protocol” for “new high-profile inmates,” Combs’ lawyer told TMZ, Newsweek reported.
The Threads post, which has garnered over 3,000 views as of writing, purports to show a recent mugshot of Combs. “Breaking news: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested in a Manhattan hotel! No other details given at this time!” the post’s caption reads. The post includes two photos of Combs, including one of his side profile.
The claim is false. Check Your Fact reviewed comments shared on the post, where social media users were quick to point out that the mugshot did not appear to be recent.
“This looks like an old a– picture, possibly 2008,” one user wrote.
“It’s from 1999, the nightclub shooting,” another added.
The mugshot is, in fact, from 1999 and can be traced back to Getty Images. “Music producer P. Diddy, Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, Puff (real name: Sean Combs) was arrested by the NYPD in December 1999 and charged with possession of a firearm following a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub,” the image’s caption reads. (RELATED: Did Usher Refuse To Support Kamala Harris On ‘The View?’)
According to the New York Post, Combs fired a gun inside the Club New York in December 1999, injuring three people. Combs, who was acquitted of the crime in 2001, claimed he fired the gun in self-defense, the outlet reported.
Likewise, the mugshot featured in the Threads post has not been included in any recent credible news reports about Combs. In fact, the opposite is true. On September 18, PolitiFact reported the mugshot was not recent but stemmed from Combs’ 1999 arrest.
More recently, Combs was arrested and indicted on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, according to The Associated Press. The rapper, who was denied bail twice, remains in jail, the outlet reported.
Check Your Fact has contacted the New York Police Department (NYPD) for comment.
