Prisoner Filmed by CNN Freed from Syrian Jail Was Actually Notorious Assad Regime Torturer: Report

On By Littum

The prisoner CNN helped free from a secret facility in Syria was actually a notorious member of Bashar al-Assad’s forces known for torturing those who refused to pay him, according to a shocking local fact-check.

The network went viral last week with footage of the terrified prisoner being led from prison by journalist Clarissa Ward, who called it “one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed” in her 20 years of reporting.

But “independent and impartial” fact-checkers Verify-Sy published a detailed report on Sunday saying the apparently innocent prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama – a first lieutenant in the Syrian air force’s intelligence service with a long history of alleged war crimes.

“We have subsequently investigated his background and are aware that he may have provided a false identity,” CNN acknowledged to The Post. “We are continuing our reporting on this and the broader story.”

The prisoner did not waver when he looked up, despite claiming that he had not seen sunlight for three months. CNN

The CNN story last week showed Ward and a camera crew, escorted by a rebel fighter, visiting a former Syrian air force intelligence headquarters in Damascus and freeing the man found under a blanket locked in a windowless cell.

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.

However, Verify-Sy noted that he appeared “well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture—a mismatched portrayal of someone who was allegedly held in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days.”

He “blinked or didn’t blink even when he stared up at the sky”, despite saying he hadn’t seen sunlight for three months.

CNN filmed the prisoner breaking down when he was released. CNN

Verify-Sy then found that there was no record of an Adel Ghurbal in the region – leading to his true identity, Salama, the outlet said.

Salama, known as “Abu Hamza”, worked at several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion and forcing residents to become informers for Assad, local residents told the fact-checkers.

He also killed civilians during the 2014 Syrian civil war — and allegedly detained and tortured young men on false 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 senior officer over sharing the extorted money.

The prisoner holds tight to CNN reporter Clarissa Ward’s arm as he is led out of jail. CNN
CNN said it found him under a blanket. CNN

Salama was freed by the rebel fighters, fed a meal and later taken away by EMTs, the CNN report said.

CNN rejects claims that the piece was fabricated.

“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 unfolded as they appear in our film,” CNN said.

The embattled news network was also forced to defend Ward’s work last year when she was accused of staging a report near the Israel-Gaza border showing her and her crew hitting crowds amid a barrage of rocket attacks.

A doctored version of the live recording – with fake audio of someone directing the act – caught fire on social media, with many believing it to be real.