Syrian fact-checking group identifies CNN story ‘prisoner’ notorious for extortion

Putting speculation to rest, the Syrian fact-checking group Verify-Sy has identified the man escorted out of a Damascus prison earlier this week by CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward.

Ward and her team, accompanied by a group of armed militants, entered a prison located within the Syrian Air Force Intelligence headquarters in Damascus days after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government and takeover of the Syrian capital by Haya’t Tahir al-Sham militant group.

They claimed to discover a Syrian "prisoner" wrapped in a cloak and confined to a locked, empty cell.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Ward expressed jubilation and thrill, describing it as “one of the most extraordinary moments” in her nearly two-decade-long journalism career.

However, the story was later revealed to be a staged act involving the CNN chief international correspondent. She came under fire with people suggesting that she deserved an Oscar for what they termed “performative journalism.”

Verify-Sy also disputed CNN's narrative that the man they found was a "prisoner" who had languished in the jail for three months. The group noted that his condition appeared too good for someone supposedly held in prison conditions, pointing out that his beard was trimmed.

“The man, hidden under a blanket despite the gunshots used to break his cell lock, claimed he had not seen sunlight for three months,” the group stated.

“However, his reaction to the light did not match such a claim—he did not flinch or blink even when gazing up at the sky.”

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The group further reported that the man, identified in CNN’s coverage as Adel Gharbal from Homs, appeared clean, well-groomed, and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture.

This portrayal, they emphasized, was inconsistent with someone allegedly held in solitary confinement in darkness for 90 days.

Verify-Sy identified the man as Salama Mohammad Salama, alias ‘Abu Hamza,’ a former first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence.

Citing residents of the Al-Bayyada neighborhood in Homs, his hometown, the group stated that Salama oversaw several security checkpoints in the city and had been arrested less than a month ago for several cases of theft and extortion.

Press TV sources in Syria corroborated Verify-Sy’s findings, confirming that the man had been detained by security agencies about a month ago for serious crimes, including extortion.

He was freed in the chaotic aftermath of Assad's dramatic departure from Damascus as HTS militants stormed various prisons in the Syrian capital and set captives loose, according to Press TV website sources. 

CNN team led by Ward then returned him to the very prison he had escaped from, accompanied by HTS militants, to stage a scene that has since ignited a viral storm.

Following the fall of the Assad government in Damascus, Salama attempted to garner public sympathy by claiming he was "forced" into his crimes, Verify-Sy stated, adding that Salama deactivated his social media accounts and changed his phone number.

CNN shared the story on its official X page with the caption: “Syria is free.”

“Extraordinary moment as @clarissaward and her team witness a Syrian prisoner freed from a secret prison in Damascus. Left alone for days without food, water, or light, the man was unaware Bashar al-Assad's regime had fallen,” read the post, which has since gone viral.

The post, which has not been deleted yet, has been flagged with a community note labeling the event as “clearly staged.”

“There is no chance a prisoner who was in the darkness can look at the sun with wide-open eyes. Additionally, his jacket is clean, and he has a fresh haircut and clean nails—details inconsistent with the conditions of Syria’s prisons,” the note stated.

This is not the first time Ward has faced accusations of “staging journalism.” She was previously criticized for lying on the side of a highway during CNN's dramatized coverage of so-called “Hamas rocket attacks” following the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (Storm).

Meanwhile, amid mounting criticism, the American broadcaster announced on Sunday that it had launched an investigation into the man’s identity, noting that he may have provided a “false identity.”

“We reported the scene as it unfolded, including what the prisoner told us, with clear attribution,” CNN stated.

“We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity. We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk