A Syrian man who was filmed by CNN being freed from a notorious Damascus prison was a former intelligence officer for the now-deposed Assad regime, local residents and a monitoring group have said.
The man, who identified himself in the report as a civilian by the name of 'Adel Ghurbal', was the subject of a video report by CNN journalist Clarissa Ward broadcast on 11 December.
Footage of the incident went viral on social media.
" 'Syria is free' Extraordinary moment as @clarissaward and her team witness a Syrian prisoner freed from a secret prison in Damascus. Left alone for days without food, water or light, the man was unaware Bashar al-Assad's regime had fallen," read a post from X from CNN on 11 December describing the report.
In the video, the man emerges from under a blanket with his hands raised after fighter removes a lock on a cell door.
Ward and the fighter then assist the man, who claims he has been locked up for three months and appears surprised when told of the Assad regime's collapse.
CNN now says that based on photos given by a resident of Homs' Bayada neighbourhood, the man's real name is likely Salama Abu Salama -- a lieutenant in the former regime's Air Force Intelligence Directorate. The US news outlet said facial recognition software gave a 99 percent match between the man and Salama.
CNN said multiple residents of Homs have identified the man as Salama, who is also known by the nickname Abu Hamza. Those who spoke to the outlet alleged that Salama was notorious for extortion and harassment.
"We can confirm the real identity of the man from our story last Wednesday as Salama Mohammed Salama," Ward said on X on Monday.
Amid their sweeping offensive that led to the toppling of the Assad regime, rebel forces broke open prisons where thousands of people had been held and tortured. Scenes of prisoners being freed and reunited with their families have been a cause for celebration in Syria and around the world, with footage being circulated widely on social media.
However, CNN's report on 11 December drew scepticism from viewers, including supporters of the now triumphant Syrian opposition.
"There are credible voices, incl former detainees, raising questions on the authenticity of this footage, @cnnipr. CNN must immediately & transparently investigate. Amid thousands of real stories from survivors of Assad's prisons, failure to do so would be professional misconduct," wrote human rights lawyer Mai El-Sadany at the time.
Others highlighted that it was unlikely that the man, who had allegedly been kept in a dark cell, would be able to be exposed to direct sunlight after his reported ordeal.
The CNN post was also flagged with a community note which said that Syrian fact checking group Verify-Sy had identified the man as Salama.
"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," read a report from Verify-Sy on 15 December.
The New Arab was unable to verify the reports on Salama.
CNN says it has been unable to contact Salama, who was handed over to the Syrian Red Crescent by the rebel guards.
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