Al-Akhbar newspaper published an article today, entitled ‘Ahmad al-Assir’s confession report’. The article’s opening outlined the investigation reports of the remanded hardliner at the General Security and the Ministry of Defense.

Several newspapers had beaten al-Akhbar to the punch, publishing excerpts from the said confessions.

Does it mean we’ve been able to access confidential files or is someone working tirelessly into discounting the crucial role of security forces?

The media has the right to seek the truth and uncover the unstated. The press has the right to contact senior officials, as it is their duty, in most cases, to reveal information provided that they are not subject to confidentiality. But the course of Ahmad al-Assir’s case had taken an unorthodox tangent, violating law and logic.

For starters, the leaked news of al-Assir’s arrest denied the security apparatus from catching his accomplices.

Who leaked the news and why? And was it intended to protect individuals who have assisted al-Assir?

The leaks multiplied even after his infamous arrest, starting with his fake passport picture to the new look catalogue. So who leaked the wrong picture and who got it right? And why wasn't it done in an official manner?

As to the investigations, they were branded by controversy since day one. Security officials, always speaking on condition of anonymity and for unclear intentions, had mustered an array of confounding information for the public. And although the Interior Ministry kept refuting these reports, no measures were taken so as to curb these leaks or penalize the so-called sources.

Our biggest fear is having one of those drama writers pick up these alleged reports that were published in the newspaper, without bothering to validate their authenticity with any official reference, for a new TV series. If that should happen, it is imperative that the writer credits these stool pigeons for having reduced security devices to a shack.

An article originally written in Arabic by Dany Haddad.