CNN admits that the man who was released from the virus was notorious for the Assad regime, not for the public as he claimed.

CNN admitted on Monday that it was misled by a man the network initially reported in a viral segment that he was a Syrian prisoner who had been released from a secret prison.

Clarissa Ward's CNN news segment went viral last week when she reported on the alleged rescue of a “Syrian prisoner,” who she reported spent “three months in a windowless cell” in one of the Assad regime's secret prisons. Ward called it “one of the most amazing moments I've ever seen” in his journalism career. However, the man seemed to be in good shape for someone locked up in a horrible prison and given no food or water for several days, which led me to question the narrative above.

Ward confirmed that the man was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza, who was a former first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence. A CNN report said he was known for extortion and torture, while a local Syrian inspector said he was also known for torture and murder.

“We can confirm the identity of the man who appeared in our story last Wednesday as Salama Mohammed Salama,” Ward wrote on X citing a CNN report on the matter.

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“CNN first found this man when it was tracking the missing American journalist Austin Tice. In a video report, international journalist Clarissa Ward and her team, accompanied by a rebel guard, came across a cell in a Damascus prison that was locked inside the prison. Outside. The guard blew the lock with a gun, the man was found alone inside the cell, under a blanket,” reported CNN.

“When he came out in public, this man seemed confused. When asked by the rebel army that freed him, this man called himself Adel Ghurbal from the Syrian city of Homs,” continued CNN. “The photo obtained by CNN on Monday now identifies the real identity of this man – who is said to be the head of the Assad regime's intelligence service, Salama Mohammad Salama.”

CNN reported that a resident of Homs “provided to CNN a photograph of the same person while on duty, in what appears to be a government office” and his identity was verified with facial recognition software.

“The photo shows him sitting at a desk, apparently wearing military uniform. CNN is not publishing the photo to protect the anonymity of the source,” CNN reported, adding that “many residents of Homs said the man was Salama, also known as Abu Hamza.” but “it is not clear why.” Salama ended up in prison in Damascus, and CNN was unable to resume contact with him.”

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CNN admitted Monday that it was misled by a man the network initially reported to be a Syrian prisoner who had been released from a secret prison. (CNN Photo/Screenshot)

Verify-Sy, an affiliate of the Poynter Institute that also operates PolitiFact, initially reported that the man was providing false information.

“Salama, known as 'Abu Hamza,' is the first official in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence, and is famous for his work in Homs. Residents of Al-Bayyada neighborhood identified that he is often stopped at the checkpoint at the western entrance, which is notorious for its torture,” reports Verify-SY.

“It is reported that Abu Hamza was in charge of several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in acts of theft, robbery, and forcing citizens to become informers,” Verify-SY continued. “According to the locals, his recent arrest—which lasted less than a month—is due to a dispute over the distribution of profits from defrauded money with a senior official. This led to his arrest in one of the prisons in Damascus, according to local sources. “

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Verify-SY reported that the prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza, who was the first lieutenant of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence who is famous for torturing young men. (CNN Photo/Screenshot)

The report said Salama “has a bad history” and “took part in many battles in Homs in 2014, killing civilians,” adding that he was “guilty of arresting and torturing many young men in the city without reason or strategy. crimes.”

“Many were targeted for refusing bribes, refusing to cooperate, or for mysterious reasons such as their appearance. These details were confirmed by victims' families and ex-prisoners who spoke to Verify-Sy,” the report said.

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Fox News Digital's David Rutz contributed to this report.