CNN suspected of ‘fabricating’ Syrian jail release story

An “ordinary civilian” the network claims to have discovered in a “secret prison” has been revealed to be an intel officer involved in killings, torture, and extortion

CNN has been forced to admit that a Syrian man it claimed to have ‘discovered’ in a Damascus prison, and whom it filmed as part of a highly questionable report showing a journalist participating in the captive's release, is in fact a former intelligence officer who was involved in multiple crimes.

The man was reportedly imprisoned because of a dispute with his higher-ups over extorted money.

The seeds of the debacle were sown last week when the network released a widely criticized video of CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward entering a “secret prison” in Damascus, allegedly in search of missing US journalist Austin Tice, following the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In the video, Ward is accompanied by an armed man, with whom she apparently stumbles upon a locked cell, described as the only one still closed up in the facility. Upon entering, Ward, who shouted in English throughout, found a man under a blanket, who stood up, thanked her for his release and kissed her hand as they exited the facility.

Ward claimed that the man was ‘Adel Ghurbal’ from Homs, an “ordinary citizen.” He was reported by the US network to have been several months in prison and had, according to Ward, spent several days without food or water. He also claimed that he had been interrogated by security services over the contents of his phone.

The man showed no signs of hunger nor dehydration, his hair and beard were trimmed and his nails manicured, according to multiple online observers. CNN ignored the obvious signs, however.

Read more

On Sunday, the Verify-sy web portal debunked CNN's reporting, citing local sources, by revealing that the man's real name is Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza, a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence.

According to the outlet, the man “managed several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion, and coercing residents into becoming informants.” He also reportedly participated in military operations in Homs, “killed civilians, and was responsible for detaining and torturing numerous young men in the city without cause or on fabricated charges.”

Sources also told Verify-sy that Salama was not detained for these crimes, but rather “due to a dispute over profit-sharing from extorted funds with a higher-ranking officer,” for which he had been imprisoned for less than a month. In addition, it shared what it said was an image of Salama in a Syrian military uniform sitting in his office.

”Did CNN fabricate the story of “Freeing a Syrian Detainee from a Secret Prison?.. Did CNN deliberately mislead its audience to rehabilitate Abu Hamza’s image, or did it fall victim to misinformation?” the portal asked.

Following the revelation, CNN published an article admitting that the man in the picture did appear to have served in Syrian intelligence, and confirming that he had been accused of extortion.

It added that it is “unclear how or why Salama ended up in the Damascus jail,” noting that his “current whereabouts are unknown,” and that CNN has been unable to contact him.