"Liberated" Syrian

CNN admits to having been deceived by prisoner

The US reporting team found the apparent prisoner under a blanket.

(Bild: Screenshot: CNN)

The accusations against a Syrian who was discovered and "freed" by a US reporting team during a report in a secret prison have been substantiated. Adel Gharbal or Salama Mohammad Salama, as his real name is, is not a political prisoner of the toppled Assad regime. The news channel CNN has now admitted that it was deceived.

The Syrian fact-checking platform Verify-Sy was not the only one to point out false information in a post on its website and in comments under X-Postings on the article about the man's supposed liberation days after the country was freed from the long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad. Numerous residents of Homs province, where Salama lives, contacted CNN claiming to know him as an air force intelligence officer.

Clarissa Ward is an experienced CNN reporter who has reported from many dangerous locations.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Lou BENOIST)

Numerous allegations have also been made against the man: he is said to have blackmailed, stolen from, abused and even murdered civilians. One of these informants even handed over a photo in which, according to CNN, Salama can be seen in uniform. According to the broadcaster, it did not want to publish the photo in order to protect the informant and his relatives.

"Liberated" prisoner has disappeared
In any case, the identity of the prisoner could be verified using facial recognition software. However, CNN has not yet been able to clarify why he was behind bars. The experienced war correspondent Clarissa Ward has since re-labeled her video on the short news platform X and corrected the information about the "freed" prisoner (see above). However, this is not enough for many viewers, who also want an apology from the TV channel. Some are also calling for "heads to roll" for those responsible. In the meantime, Salama's whereabouts are unknown.