"I never thought the situation was so bad, I just saw things on TV," al-Omar continued as his eyes filled with tears. "When I saw these things with my own eyes I cried, 'How can Bashar al-Assad do this? ... I apologize to the Syrian people, because I worked at some point with this butcher and killer regime."

It was a tearful, emotional apology from a Syrian who had spent years working his way into the halls of power. But his sincerity was questionable, coming from a man who admitted to spending years lying for the Syrian regime.