CNN admits man freed in viral segment was notorious lieutenant for Assad regime, not civilian as he claimed
Fox News
CNN admitted on Monday that it had been misled by a man who the network initially reported to be a Syrian prisoner freed from a secret jail as CNN cameras rolled.
Ward confirmed the man was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza, who was a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence. CNN's report said he was known for extortion and harassment, while a local Syrian fact-checker said he was even known to commit torture and murder. Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to brian.flood@fox.com and on Twitter: @briansflood.
"We can confirm the real identity of the man from our story last Wednesday as Salama Mohammed Salama," Ward posted on X to caption a CNN report about the ordeal.
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