Captain America Chris Evans clarifies he did not sign an Israeli bomb or weapon of any kind

Chris Evans (Captain America) has been facing the ire of netizens who are questioning the soundness of a celebrity signing any weapon, even a fake training aid. (Images via Instagram)

American actor Chris Evans on Thursday took to Instagram to set the record straight on an image of him purportedly signing an Israeli bomb. The Captain America star clarified:

- The said image is actually eight years old.

-  It was taken on the 2016 USO Holiday Tour, which he joined along with a group of actors and musicians to thank American armed forces personnel for their service. USO stands for United Service Organisations. The 2016 tour took the entertainers to Turkey.

- The object he is seen signing was not a bomb or a weapon of any kind, but an “inert object used for training or display purposes only.”

The actor also embedded a screenshot of a February 2024 AFP article confirming these details. Indeed, Jennifer Passey, director of communications for the USO, had confirmed to AFP that the picture was “from our 2016 USO Holiday Tour and was taken by a DoD photographer at that time”.

According to an Associated Press report, the same photo of Evans had also emerged online after the May 26 attack when an Israeli airstrike on shelters in Rafah, south Gaza, killed dozens of people, including women and children.

Is Chris Evans' clarification enough?

Even as 'All Eyes on Rafah' continues to trend on social media in support of war-ravaged Gaza, the photo of Chris Evans (Marvel Cinematic Universe) purportedly signing an Israeli bomb has angered netizens who have taken exception to the American actor signing a military training aid.

Given that the misleading picture comes just days after American politician Nikki Haley was seen writing “Finish them” on Israeli artillery shells intended for Gaza, concerns around celebrities adding to the fire - even unintentionally - are growing louder.

Chris Evans' clarification

Evans in an Instagram Story said: “There's a lot of misinformation surrounding this picture. Some clarification: This image was taken during a USO tour in 2016.” Evans added that he had done the USO tour as part a group of actors, athletes and musicians, to thank American armed forces personnel for their service, and that the object he was pictured signing was “not...a weapon of any kind.”