Exposed: Under-Fire CNN at Center of MORE Outrage as Viral 'Prisoner' Was 'Assad Operative' — Real Identity of 'Torturer' Revealed
CNN's Clarissa Ward assisted the 'prisoner', holding his hand.
Dec. 16 2024, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
The "prisoner" discovered by a CNN news crew alone in one of Bashar al-Assad's prison cells is now believed to have been one of the ousted Syrian president's torturers.
During a news broadcast, the "captured" man identified himself as Adel Gharbal to the network's Clarissa Ward and her crew, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
CNN discovered a 'prisoner' during one of its broadcast, a clip that went 'viral'.
Fact-checking site Verify-Sy noted the man did not behave as someone who had been held captive, calling out Gharbal's appearance as well.
The site, a part of Poynter's International Fact-Checking Network, said: "Despite the purported harsh treatment of detainees in secret prisons, Gharbal appeared clean, well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture."
They noted the entire scene was "an incongruous portrayal" of someone allegedly kept "in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days".
Assad's wife is said to have filed for divorce just weeks following their departure from Syria.
During the broadcast, Gharbal claimed he was a father from Homs and had been held captive in the prison for three months. Ward held Gharbal's hand, who appeared to be shaking and on the verge of tears.
The man was then taken into the sunlight by the network's crew, however, the fact-checking site noted he did not flinch or blink when he looked up at the sky, odd behavior for someone who was kept in the dark for months.
The site, after speaking to locals in Homs, determined the man is actually named Salama Mohammad Salama, or Abu Hamza. They claim he was a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence which served Assad under his brutal regime.
According to Verify-Sy, the man was "frequently stationed at a checkpoint in the area's western entrance, infamous for its abuses", and accused him of involvement in "theft, extortion and coercing residents into becoming informants".
Local residents claim Salama killed civilians and was responsible for detaining and torturing young men in the city on fabricated charges.
"Many were targeted simply for refusing to pay bribes, rejecting cooperation or even for arbitrary reasons like their appearance," the site said.
Locals reveal Salama ended up behind bars more than a month prior to the now viral CNN footage due to a dispute with a higher-ranking officer.
The network's Clarissa Ward held the man's hand as she helped him outside.
He has also been trying to gain sympathy to protect his life, claiming he was "forced" into committing his crimes, locals added, and claim he deactivated his social media accounts and changed his phone number to erase any evidence that shows he was with Assad's regime.
Despite harsh backlash for CNN's footage, they are standing by what they reported as a spokesperson for the network responded: "No one other than the CNN team was aware of our plans to visit the prison building featured in our report that day."
They continued: "The events transpired as they appear in our film.
"The decision to release the prisoner featured in our report was taken by the guard - a Syrian rebel. We reported the scene as it unfolded, including what the prisoner told us, with clear attribution."
The spokesperson did admit the "prisoner" may not have been truthful when it came to his real identity.
"We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity. We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story," they added.
After overthrowing Assad, rebel fighters liberated the horrifying Sednaya Military Prison — better known as the "Human Slaughterhouse".
Survivors of the nightmare prison revealed it was a place "carefully designed to humiliate, degrade, sicken, starve and ultimately kill those trapped inside".
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One of Assad's prisons was known as the 'Human Slaughterhouse'.
According to prisoners, guards would torture and beat inmates as a form of punishment and degradation, which led some inmates to suffer life-long damage, disability, and in some cases, death.
Millions of Syrians have fled Assad's brutal and murderous regime since the civil war began in 2011. After being overthrown, Assad is to have gone to Moscow, as Vladimir Putin offered him refuge.
