A prisoner who was caught on camera being freed by a CNN reporter and her team was actually a notorious member of Bashar al-Assad’s forces, a local fact check has revealed. Fact-checkers Verify-Sy claimed the man is named Salama Mohammad Salama, a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence who allegedly tortured people who refused to pay him off. Salama reportedly has a long history of alleged war crimes.
The week, CNN went viral after a video captured the moment CNN reporter Clarissa Ward and her team found and freed the man. Ward later said in a social media post that “this was one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed.”
CNN has now told New York Post in a statement, “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.”
The video shows Samala being found in a windowless cell and being freed. He reportedly claimed his name was Adel Ghurbal and alleged that he had been arrested by government authorities three months earlier. Anchor Jake Tapper played the clip by saying that the prisoner did not know Assad’s regime had fallen.
However, a community note below Ward’s X post about the incident now reads, quoting Verify-Sy, "His real name is Salama Mohammad Salama. Salama, known as "Abu Hamza," is a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, notorious for his activities in Homs. Residents identified him as frequently stationed at a checkpoint in the area’s western entrance."
{{/usCountry}}However, a community note below Ward’s X post about the incident now reads, quoting Verify-Sy, "His real name is Salama Mohammad Salama. Salama, known as "Abu Hamza," is a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, notorious for his activities in Homs. Residents identified him as frequently stationed at a checkpoint in the area’s western entrance."
{{/usCountry}}The fact-checking outlet noted that Samala appeared “well-groomed, and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture — an incongruous portrayal of someone allegedly held in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days.” The man reportedly also “did not flinch or blink even when gazing up at the sky” despite claiming he had not seen sunlight for as many as three months. The outlet found that there was no record of an Adel Ghurbal in the region, and eventually learned about Salama’s true identity.
Who is Salama Mohammad Salama?
Salama, known as Abu Hamza, reportedly worked at several security checkpoints in Homs. He was involved in theft, extortion and would often force residents to become informants for Assad, local residents told the outlet.
Salama allegedly also killed civilians during the Syrian civil war in 2014, and even detained and tortured young men on bogus charges. Many of these men had refused to pay bribes.
According to locals, Salama was locked up after a dispute with a high-ranking officer over sharing the extorted money. He was freed by the rebel fighters and given a meal. Later, he was taken away by EMTs in the CNN report.
CNN has dismissed claims that the piece was fabricated. “No one other than the CNN team was aware of our plans to visit the prison building featured in our report that day. The events transpired as they appear in our film,” CNN said.