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Prisoner freed by CNN was Assad's intelligence henchman, report claims
Verify-Sy identified the 'hidden prisoner' as Salama Mohammad Salama, a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence, which served former President Bashar al-Assad.
Prisoner freed by CNN was one of Assad's intelligence henchmen who killed and tortured but gave a 'false id' during rescue, report claims
The 'hidden prisoner' who was rescued from a Syrian jail by CNN was a member of Bashar al-Assad's forces and killed and tortured civilians, a new report has claimed
The prisoner, whose real name is Salama Mohammad Salama, was a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence, which served former President Assad, Syrian fact-checking organization Verify-Sy reported.
Salama allegedly killed civilians and was responsible for detaining and torturing young men in Homs on fabricated charges, the organization claimed, citing residents.
They went on to accuse Salama of involvement in 'theft, extortion and coercing residents into becoming informants,' and said he participated in military operations on several fronts in Homs in 2014.
Salama was found under a blanket in a prison in Damascus by the network's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward and identified himself as a 'civilian father' named Adel Gharbal. CNN has now launched an investigation into his identity.
The man claimed to have been taken from his home in the city of Homs, arrested three months ago and interrogated over his phone contacts. He alleged he was left without anysustenance for four days when his captors fled during the fall of Damascus to rebel forces.
But Homs residents claim Salama was thrown in the Damascus prison less than a month ago, due to a dispute with a higher ranking officer over money he allegedly extorted. He has since been trying to gain sympathy following the fall of the regime, claiming he was 'forced' into committing his crimes, Verify-Sy reported.
Prisoner CNN helped free from Syrian prison was actually notorious Assad regime torturer: report
“We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity,” CNN said.
nypost.com
The prisoner CNN helped free from a secret facility in Syria was actually a notorious member of Bashar al-Assad’s forces known to torture those who refused to pay him off, according to a shocking local fact check.
The network went viral last week with footage of the startled prisoner being led from the prison by journalist Clarissa Ward, who called it “one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed” in her 20 years of reporting.
But “independent and unbiased” fact-checkers Verify-Sy published a detailed report Sunday saying that the seemingly innocent prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama — a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence with a long history of alleged war crimes.
“We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity,” CNN acknowledged to The Post. “We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.”
The CNN story last week showed Ward and a camera crew, escorted by a rebel fighter, visiting a former Syrian air force intelligence headquarters in Damascus and freeing the man who was found under a blanket locked in a windowless cell.
CNN trying to show how great and humane they are freed a monster that tortured and killed people.
This is a massive screw up and further reason why the west needs to stay out of these Middle East conflicts.
