Evidence that the Syrian ‘prisoner’ discovered and released by CNN crew was one of Assad’s ruthless henchmen as an ex-intelligence officer is now missing

A shocking image of the Syrian ‘prisoner’ discovered by journalists in Damascus prison proves he was in fact one of former dictator Bashar al-Assad’s henchmen who ruthlessly killed and tortured prisoners.

The feigned prisoner was found by CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarrisa Ward and her team while visiting an abandoned detention center last Wednesday.

He was found under a blanket, trembling and crying out, ‘O God! There is light!’, in a video that went viral.

But earlier this week, Syrian fact-checking organization Verify-Sy reported that the man in the clip was in fact a senior first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force intelligence service who served under former President Assad.

CNN launched an investigation into the man’s identity and confirmed that he was not a “civil father” named Adel Gharba, but rather Salama Mohammad Salama.

Citing local sources, CNN said in a statement on Monday that Salama was “known for running Air Force Intelligence Directorate checkpoints in the city” and was accused of having “a reputation for extortion and intimidation.”

In an image shared with CNN by locals and Verify-Sy, Salama can be seen with a sly grin behind a desk that appears to be in a government office.

He is dressed in a military uniform, further proving his ties to the Assad regime.

Last week, Salama was found by a CNN crew visiting an abandoned prison. He claimed he was a ‘civil father’

Earlier this week, Syrian fact-checking organization Verify-Sy reported that the man in the clip was in fact a senior first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force intelligence service who served former President Assad. CNN launched an investigation and confirmed his real identity on Monday

According to CNN, the image was fact-checked with facial recognition software, which showed that the image of the man rescued from the Damascus cell was a 99 percent match to the officer.

CNN said it is not certain how he ended up in Damascus prison, but according to local reports he was locked up for less than a month over a disagreement he had with a senior officer over cash he allegedly extorted.

The broadcaster also said his whereabouts are currently unknown.

The Syrian fact-check group said Salama killed civilians and was responsible for detaining and torturing young men in Homs on trumped-up charges, the organization claimed, citing residents.

They then accused Salama of involvement in “theft, extortion and forcing residents to become informants,” and said he had taken part in military operations on several fronts in Homs in 2014.

Now that his identity has been revealed, Ward and CNN have been criticized by critics online.

Ward was touring the detention center where countless civilians were tortured and beaten to death when her team apparently came across a cell that was still locked.

A Syrian rebel guard reportedly shot open the door of the prison cell and found the shaking prisoner under the blanket.

Ward provided food and water to the man, who claimed he had not seen sunlight in three months, and was then led outside.

CNN journalist Clarissa Ward confirmed the real identity of the released prisoner in an X-post

But Verify-Sy questioned the report, noting that the alleged prisoner did not flinch or blink as he looked skyward for what is believed to be the first time in months.

‘Despite the alleged harsh treatment of prisoners in secret prisons, Gharbal appeared clean, well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture – an incongruous image for someone reportedly held in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days ‘ Verify-Sy.

After further investigation, Verify-Sy said it could not confirm Gharbal’s identity, but after speaking to locals in Homs, it was able to identify him as Salama Mohammad Salama or Abu Hamza.

Residents of Al-Bayyada neighborhood said he was regularly stationed at a checkpoint at the western entrance to the area, notorious for abuses,” Verify-Sy reported.

“Many were targeted simply because they refused to pay bribes, rejected cooperation or even for arbitrary reasons such as their appearance,” the organization claimed.

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, more than 157,000 people have been arrested or forcibly disappeared, including 5,274 children and 10,221 women, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

The detainees included protesters, human rights defenders, political dissidents, doctors treating demonstrators or opposition members, as well as their relatives.

More than 1,500 people died under torture, which included electrocuting genitals or hanging weights; burning them with oil, metal rods, gunpowder or flammable pesticides; crushing heads between a wall and the prison cell door; inserting needles or metal pins into bodies; and depriving prisoners of clothing, bathing and toilet facilities, the Human Rights Network said.

The worst seemed to be Sednaya prison, outside Damascus, which was the size of 184 football stadiums and surrounded by two minefields