A recent CNN report about the dramatic rescue of a prisoner from a secret facility in Syria has come under scrutiny following revelations about the man’s true identity.

According to an investigation by Verify-Sy, an independent fact-checking organization, the freed prisoner was not an innocent victim but a notorious member of Bashar al-Assad’s regime with a history of alleged war crimes.

The so-called Syrian prisoner CNN’s Clarissa Ward helped free was allegedly a notorious Bashar al-Assad torturer.

This cracks me up every time CNN is outed as being fake news because they still use the slogan “ThE mOsT tRuStEd NaMe In NeWs” after all these years of getting… pic.twitter.com/ic4LPmv2km

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) December 16, 2024

The story, which aired last week, featured journalist Clarissa Ward and her crew documenting the release of a man from a former Syrian Air Force intelligence headquarters in Damascus.

The prisoner, found under a blanket in a windowless cell, identified himself as Adel Ghurbal and claimed he had been held by government authorities for three months.

Ward described the moment as “one of the most extraordinary” in her 20-year career.

However, Verify-Sy published a detailed report on Sunday revealing that the prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence.

Salama, also known as “Abu Hamza,” is accused of theft, extortion, and torturing civilians during his time working for Assad’s forces.

The fact-checkers raised doubts about the prisoner’s story, noting that he appeared “well-groomed and physically healthy” with no visible signs of abuse or torture, which seemed inconsistent with his claim of being held in solitary confinement for 90 days.

BREAKING: Syrian prisoner “freed” by CNN last week is Salama Mohammad Salama, notorious Assad regime torturer pic.twitter.com/ZHpNzfiIYQ

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 16, 2024

Verify-Sy also pointed out that the man displayed no reaction to sunlight despite allegedly not seeing daylight for three months.

The investigation found no record of anyone named Adel Ghurbal in the region.

Instead, the man was identified as Salama Mohammad Salama, who had a reputation for committing atrocities during the Syrian civil war.

Local residents told Verify-Sy that Salama was involved in extortion, forcing residents to act as informants and detaining and torturing individuals who refused to pay bribes.

Salama reportedly worked at several security checkpoints in Homs, where he extorted civilians and coerced them into cooperating with Assad’s forces.

He is also accused of killing civilians during the civil war in 2014 and torturing young men on fabricated charges.

According to the report, Salama ended up in the secret facility after a dispute with a high-ranking officer over extorted money.

Residents claimed that Salama had been held in the prison for less than a month before being discovered by rebel fighters and CNN’s crew.

In response to the revelations, CNN acknowledged that the prisoner may have given a false identity. “We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity,” a CNN spokesperson told The New York Post. “We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.”

Syrian prisoner ‘freed’ by CNN apparently a ‘war criminal’ with long history of ‘torture’ who was arrested for corruption, says new report

‘We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity’ – CNN pic.twitter.com/icICjIG46l

— RT (@RT_com) December 16, 2024

CNN denied allegations that the events in their report were staged. “No one other than the CNN team was aware of our plans to visit the prison building featured in our report that day. The events transpired as they appear in our film,” the network said.

CNN statement on this bogus segment:

“No one other than the CNN team was aware of our plans to visit the prison building featured in our report that day. The events transpired as they appear in our film. The decision to release the prisoner featured in our report was taken by… https://t.co/uJHsE8ZVz6

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) December 16, 2024

The report showed rebel fighters freeing Salama from the cell, feeding him a meal, and later transporting him in an ambulance.

CNN’s portrayal of the incident initially went viral, but the latest revelations have cast doubt on the narrative and raised questions about the vetting process for such high-profile stories.

As questions mount about the true nature of the incident, Verify-Sy’s findings highlight the complex and often murky reality of the Syrian conflict.

While CNN continues to investigate, critics are calling for greater accountability in reporting to ensure accurate representation of events in conflict zones.

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