Ex-Pentagon official shares alleged UFO mothership image from Romania

A recent image shared by ex-Pentagon official Luis Elizondo has stirred discussions and curiosity within UFO circles.

Former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo, known for exposing a $22-million government UFO program, recently shared an image of an alleged “mothership” UFO at a private event in Philadelphia.

During the gathering at The City Winery, Elizondo described the craft as “looking like the mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” referencing the 1977 Spielberg film.

🧵 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

— John Greenewald, Jr. (@blackvaultcom) October 29, 2024

Elizondo presented the image, which he claimed was taken in Romania, as evidence of a craft “resembling a mini floating city.”
 

However, skeptics quickly questioned the image’s authenticity. John Greenewald Jr., a government transparency advocate behind The Black Vault, traced the photograph back to a Facebook group post from September 2023. He shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the image likely depicts a chandelier’s reflection on window glass rather than a UFO near the U.S. Embassy. This revelation cast doubt on Elizondo’s claims, as the Embassy is located hundreds of miles away from where the image was supposedly taken.

But, in the end, you don't have a "mothership". We would've heard much more about it if something like that showed up over any city; and we'd have a second angle or two - or 50.

Rather, you have a common viral internet photo that doesn't depict anything more than an illusion.#⃣ pic.twitter.com/6n49Wl8NKQ

— John Greenewald, Jr. (@blackvaultcom) October 29, 2024

Amid growing criticism, Elizondo responded, attributing the mistake to “a friend in Government” who provided the photo a few years ago. Despite his explanation, Elizondo’s credibility continues to face scrutiny. Veteran U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Jeremy McGowan, who encountered a UFO in the Middle East, voiced concerns over the incident.

“This situation with Lue follows my experiences with him nearly exactly,” McGowan shared with DailyMail.com, adding that Elizondo has previously exaggerated or fabricated information. “I witnessed him exaggerate or outright fabricate information that simply wasn’t true,” McGowan said.

McGowan recounted a 2021 incident when Elizondo shared what he claimed was a top-secret Soviet video of a UFO near Mars on his phone. Recognizing it as a decades-old public video released by Soviet Air Force Colonel Marina Popovich, McGowan felt misled. “For him to think I would believe he would simply carry classified info on an unsecure civilian cell phone is just insulting,” McGowan remarked, seeing the episode as part of a broader pattern of sensational claims.

The recent disclosure has fueled frustration among both skeptics and UFO enthusiasts, many of whom anticipated more substantial evidence. While some still support Elizondo’s efforts, others are calling for greater transparency and accountability within the UFO research community.