CNN is investigating a man the network says is a Syrian prisoner who was released from a secret prison as CNN cameras rolled after a local fact-checking group said he was actually a murderer and torturer for Bashar al-Assad's regime.
CNN's Clarissa Ward 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 rarest moments I've ever seen.” But some observers doubted the story, as the man appeared to be well-groomed and in good condition for someone who has been locked up in a gruesome prison and allegedly has not been given food or water for several days.
Verify-SY, a Syrian journalist organization focused on fact-checking and anti-truth, reported on Sunday that the prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza, the former first contact of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence who is known for torturing young men.
CNN is investigating the identity of a man the network says is a Syrian prisoner who was released from a secret prison while the cameras were rolling.
At this stage, Ward said he was searching for missing journalist Austin Tice when he found a man hiding under a blanket in a locked cell in a prison building at the Syrian Air Force's intelligence headquarters in Damascus. He said the guard, who was a member of the rebels, made the CNN crew turn off the cameras when he shot the cell's lock.
The man was under the blanket and at first he didn't move but eventually he stood up, and Ward can be seen briefly at this stage taking a deep breath.
The man appeared to be healthy, and Ward repeatedly told him he was “fine” as he gave him water while holding his arm. The rebel told the man he was “free,” and the man said he hadn't heard from his family in three months. Ward reported that his captors fled with the fall of Damascus, and he was left without food and water for at least four days.
The man says he does not know Assad, known as Assad, and was expelled by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which freed people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents.
The man told CNN his name was Adel Ghurbal, and that he was a citizen who had been arrested three months ago and had spent time in three different prisons while being questioned repeatedly. But Verify-Sy, an affiliate of the Poynter Institute that also runs PolitiFact, reported that the man was providing false information.
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.
“The Verify-Sy team searched public records for the name 'Adel Gharbal' to confirm the circumstances and time of his arrest but found no results. Gharbal, who claimed to be from Homs and whose dialect supported this claim, prompted further questions from the city .The team discovered that his real name is 'Salama Mohammad Salama,' a shocking revelation, known as 'Abu Hamza,' He is first lieutenant of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence, who is famous for his activities in Homs, Residents of the Al-Bayyada area identified him as a frequent stop at the checkpoint in the western entrance, which is notorious for torture,” Verify-SY reported.
“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. “
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.”
CNN's Clarissa Ward offered the man water as network cameras rolled. (CNN/Screenshot)
“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.
“Since Syrians first and journalists second, we have to ask,” Verify-SY continued. “Did CNN deliberately mislead its audience to revive the image of Abu Hamza, or was it a victim of disinformation? And if the latter, what led the network to this error, especially when the Syrians succeeded in exposing the crimes and violations of the world. It failed to write dozens years?”
CNN has defended Ward's reporting but acknowledges that the man may have provided false identification.
“No one other than the CNN team knew about our plans to visit the prison building that was included in our report that day,” said a Fox News Digital spokesperson. “The events happened as they appear in our film. The decision to release the prisoner featured in our report was taken by the guard – a Syrian criminal. We reported the incident as it happened, including what the prisoner told us, very clearly.”
“We were later investigating his background and we know he may have lied,” the CNN spokesperson continued. “We continue to report on this and the wider issue.”
Videos of the segment posted on X were hit with social notes.
CNN also added pinned comments to its YouTube video of the segment, which has 1.3 million views as of Monday morning.
“Since the publication of this report, CNN has continued to look into the background of the prisoner featured in it. CNN is now aware of the possibility that he may have revealed his identity. We continue to report on this and the wider issue,” it read. .
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Hannah Panreck of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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