CNN admits to fake news! 'Accidentally discovered' prisoner turns out to be a former intelligence officer

US-based broadcaster CNN has admitted that a person it claimed to have 'accidentally' discovered in a prison cell in Damascus in a report published on December 12 was actually a former intelligence officer.

In a statement from CNN, it was noted that the person portrayed as a prisoner was Selame Mohammad Selame, who previously served in Syria's Air Force Intelligence Directorate. The identity of the person in the cell was confirmed through local sources in the region and a more than 99 percent match in facial recognition systems.

HE WAS INTRODUCED AS 'SOMEONE FROM HOMS'

According to a report by Sputnik, CNN had previously claimed that this person was Adel Gharbal from Homs and that he had been forcibly detained by the government. However, recent investigations confirmed that Selame Mohammad Selame, also known as Abu Hamza, was an intelligence official in the Syrian government.

The statement indicated that Selame managed air intelligence checkpoints in the city.

However, CNN stated that they have no information regarding how Selame was brought to the cell or where he is currently located.

WHAT HAPPENED?

In a report published on December 12, CNN shared a video titled “CNN witnesses the moment a Syrian prisoner is released from where he was forcibly detained by the Assad regime.”

In the footage, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward and an armed individual accompanying her had 'accidentally' come across a prisoner in a locked cell while touring a prison in Damascus.

It was claimed that this person was Adel Gharbal from Homs and that he had been arrested three months prior.

However, after the video was shared on social media, allegations that the footage was staged had surfaced.