News networks from around the world have been on the ground in Syria broadcasting the momentous overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
CNN is one of those networks. While covering the events unfolding in Syria when they happened to stumble upon a situation where their crew and cameras released a man from a prison formerly controlled by Assad.
At least that’s what they’re telling the world. But after further examination, their “heroics” actually helped free a notorious criminal.
Here’s what unfolded.
Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward produced a story about how she and others supposedly released a man from a prison formerly controlled by Assad.
CNN immediately published the video of the ordeal, saying their cameras “caught the moment” he was “freed.”
Ward then went to social media, calling it “one of the most extraordinary moments” she had ever witnessed.
See the moment here:
In nearly twenty years as a journalist, this was one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed. https://t.co/rG3WmhKh7X
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) December 11, 2024
I think CNN needs to come clean about this staged video of Clarissa Ward @clarissaward freeing a Syrian prisoner pic.twitter.com/W9ovCfKiUa
— Giuseppe Mercadante (@itsmercadante) December 12, 2024
But according to a report from The New York Post, “independent and unbiased” fact-checkers Verify-Sy published a detailed report yesterday saying that the prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama — a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence with a long history of alleged war crimes.
As the news developed of the case of mistaken identity, CNN was forced to address the situation.
“We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity,” CNN acknowledged.
“We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.”
In Ward’s video, he gave his name as Adel Ghurbal and claimed to have been arrested by government authorities three months earlier — saying he had no idea the Assad regime had collapsed.
Verify-Sy noted, however, that he appeared “well-groomed, and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture — an incongruous portrayal of someone allegedly held in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days.”
He also “did not flinch or blink even when gazing up at the sky” despite having said he had not seen sunlight for three months.
Verify-Sy then found that there was no record of an Adel Ghurbal in the region — leading it to his true identity, Salama, the outlet said.
Known as “Abu Hamza,” Salama worked at several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion and coercing residents into becoming informants for Assad, local residents told the fact-checkers.
He also killed civilians during the Syrian civil war in 2014 — and allegedly detained and tortured young men on bogus charges, many of whom refused to pay bribes, Verify-Sy reported.
Locals claim he was locked up in the prison where he was discovered for less than a month due to a dispute with a high-ranking officer over sharing the extorted money.
However, as of today, CNN denies allegations that the piece was fabricated. Just a case of not having all of the facts.
“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,” CNN said in a statement.