The fatal shooting of Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti by US federal agents on Saturday has prompted various reactions from across the Middle East, including AI-generated photos depicting Americans appealing to Iran’s supreme leader for help, while Iranian state-aligned media outlets have highlighted the incident as an example of US hypocrisy. 

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during protests against an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, marking the second fatal shooting by federal officers there in less than three weeks. Another resident, Renee Good, was killed earlier in January.

Video footage from the incident appears to show Pretti recording federal agents with his phone before being shoved by an officer, then pepper-sprayed and restrained on the ground. In several verified videos, one of the agents emerges from the struggle holding a handgun that federal officials say Pretti had been carrying on his person, as he was licensed to do. Agents then appear to shoot Pretti 10 times. 

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published late Sunday, President Donald Trump said his administration was “reviewing everything” related to the shooting. On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis. 

Iranian news outlets react

Following the killing, AI-generated images began circulating on social media........

© Al Monitor