A prisoner freed from a secret detention facility in Syria, alongside rebels, has been identified as a member of Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence forces, accused of war crimes, according to an independent fact-checking group.

The incident, which went viral after being widely shared on social media, involved the dramatic discovery of a lone man in a locked cell in Damascus. The man, visibly shaken and wrapped in a blanket, introduced himself as Adel Ghurbal from Homs, claiming he had been imprisoned for three months.

The video captured the moment rebel guards blew the lock off the cell door and brought the man outside, feeding him and speaking with him under the belief that he was an innocent prisoner of the Assad regime. Many online praised the incident as a moment of justice, highlighting the horrors inflicted by the regime.

However, independent fact-checker Verify-Sy later revealed that the man was actually Salama Mohammad Salama, also known as Abu Hamza—a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence. Salama has a long history of alleged war crimes, including his role in military operations that killed civilians and in the detention and torture of young men on fabricated charges.

The report noted that Salama’s imprisonment stemmed not from the regime’s crackdown but from a dispute over “profit-sharing of extorted funds” with a senior officer. His time in detention reportedly lasted less than a month.

Additional confirmation of Salama’s identity came through a photograph showing him in military uniform on duty at a government office. Facial recognition technology matched his image with over 99% accuracy to the man found in the Damascus facility.

While the circumstances surrounding Salama’s imprisonment remain unclear, the revelation has sparked widespread criticism and questions regarding the true nature of his release.