CNN may have been fooled by a so-called “hidden prisoner” from a Syrian prison who a news outlet says is actually a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence. During a segment, CNN’s Clarissa Ward and a rebel fighter uncovered a prisoner who appeared to be unaware of the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

CNN has since stated that the broadcaster is continuing to investigate the man’s background.

The Verify-SY news agency – which claims to be a media platform that identifies and corrects false news – identifies the “prisoner” as a Syrian officer who is believed to have killed civilians and imprisoned and tortured young men in Homs. His portrayal as a prisoner, the organization tweeted, “seems to be an attempt to restore his image.”

CNN captured the moment Ward found the man lying wrapped in a blanket in a locked cell of an empty prison.

“We wanted to do a story about the tens of thousands of Syrians who have disappeared into Assad’s dungeons, and in particular about an American journalist, Austin Tice, who has disappeared,” Ward later reported on CNN.

Ward was shown entering the cell after a guard shot from the castle.

“Is anyone there?” Ward asks several times. The man emerged from under the covers with his hands raised.

A CNN translation said the man claimed he had been in the cell for three months.

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” Ward tells him, helping him outside and into a vehicle.

Social media was quick to question the scenario.

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