(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Well, this is awkward.
CNN has admitted that the so-called Syrian prisoner who claimed in a viral news segment to have been held captive for three months by the Assad regime was, in reality, a former intelligence officer accused of extorting civilians.
The man, Salama Mohammad Salama, was shown hiding under black blankets inside a locked prison cell as CNN toured the facilities of the recently deposed government.
“Is someone there?” CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward asked the figure under the blanket, days after Syrian rebels toppled the government earlier this month.
As a Syrian rebel approached, Salama emerged, falsely identifying himself as a prisoner who had been held in darkness for months.
The CNN report went viral, garnering millions of views across social media. However, Salama’s story—and identity—was soon revealed to be completely made up.
“An image obtained by CNN on Monday now points to the man’s real identity – said to be a lieutenant in the Assad regime’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate, Salama Mohammad Salama,” CNN acknowledged.
We can confirm the real identity of the man from our story last Wednesday as Salama Mohammed Salamahttps://t.co/wb77EEMbnT
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) December 16, 2024
The photograph shows Salama allegedly in military attire inside a government office before the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fell.
“Facial recognition software provided a match of more than 99 percent with the man CNN met in the Damascus prison cell,” the outlet wrote. “The photograph shows him sitting at a desk, apparently in military clothing. CNN is not publishing the photo to protect the source’s anonymity.”
CNN’s viral segment was first called into question by Verify-Sy, an alleged Syrian fact-checking group, which flagged inconsistencies in Salama’s story.
As reported by Verify-Sy, Salama claimed he had been deprived of sunlight for three months, yet when escorted outside, he showed no reaction to daylight. Despite the perceived torture, Salama appeared well-groomed, sporting a trimmed beard with no visible signs of dehydration or starvation.
“Abu Hamza reportedly managed several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion, and coercing residents into becoming informants,” Verify-Sy wrote, referring to Salama by another nickname.
The fact-checking entity added, “According to locals, his recent incarceration—lasting less than a month—was due to a dispute over profit-sharing from extorted funds with a higher-ranking officer. This led to his detention in one of Damascus’s cells, as per neighborhood sources.”
CNN's Jake Tapper after the first time the now-debunked Syria story from Clarissa Ward aired: "Another just absolutely remarkable report. CNN's Clarissa Ward in Damascus doing vital, vital journalism Thank you so much!" pic.twitter.com/tOQFY1xiXA
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 16, 2024
