CNN’s recent story featuring correspondent Clarissa Ward purportedly rescuing a Syrian prisoner has come under intense scrutiny after a Syrian fact-checking organization suggested the man may not be who he claimed to be. The prisoner, initially identified by CNN as Adel Ghurbal, a supposed rebel fighter, is now suspected of being Salama Mohammed “Abu Hamza” Salama, a known torturer and corrupt official within the Assad regime’s Air Force Intelligence.
CNN aired footage on Wednesday showing Ward and her crew entering a prison described as being “deep in the belly of the regime’s air force intelligence headquarters.” In the dramatic segment, they found a man huddled under a blanket, whom Ward comforted by saying, “You’re okay, you’re okay.”
However, Verify-Sy, a Syrian fact-checking group accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network, reported that there are no records of an Adel Ghurbal being held in Syrian prisons. Instead, the man was identified by locals as Salama Mohammed, a notorious first lieutenant known for extortion, torture, and corruption in Homs. Residents recalled his presence at a checkpoint infamous for abuses against civilians, including coercion and arbitrary detentions.
Verify-Sy’s report raises doubts about the credibility of the prisoner’s story. The organization pointed out discrepancies, including his claim of being imprisoned for 90 days without sunlight. His unflinching reaction to daylight and his well-groomed appearance suggested otherwise. According to their sources, Salama was imprisoned just weeks before CNN’s report, allegedly for a dispute over extorted funds with a superior officer.
CNN acknowledged the potential deception, stating, “We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity.”
Clarissa Ward described the encounter as “one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed” in her two-decade career. CNN said they were in Syria searching for Austin Tice, a freelance journalist believed to have been captured by the Assad regime in 2012. The U.S. State Department has long held the Syrian government responsible for Tice’s disappearance.
This controversy comes in the wake of the December fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which had ruled Syria for 24 years. As hopes rise for the return of missing individuals like Tice, questions surrounding CNN’s reporting highlight the challenges of verifying information in conflict zones.
