« Mint Press News incorrectly used my byline for an article it published on August 29, 2013 alleging chemical weapons usage by Syrian rebels. Despite my repeated requests, made directly and through legal counsel, they have not been willing to issue a retraction stating that I was not the author. Yahya Ababneh is the sole reporter and author of the Mint Press News piece. To date, Mint Press News has refused to act professionally or honestly in regards to disclosing the actual authorship and sources for this story.

 »I did not travel to Syria, have any discussions with Syrian rebels, or do any other reporting on which the article is based. The article is not based on my personal observations and should not be given credence based on my journalistic reputation. Also, it is false and misleading to attribute comments made in the story as if they were my own statements.« 

While Gavlak insists that she was not an »author« of the article and did not contribute to the »reporting« in the story, the statement does not specifically say she had no involvement at all. This leaves open the possibility that she contributed in some other way – for example by helping to edit it. 

There seems to be no doubt that Ababneh does exist and that he is a Jordanian who has studied journalism. So far, however, no evidence has been uncovered to support his claim to have carried out journalistic assignments »in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Libya for clients such as al-Jazeera, al-Quds al-Arabi, Amman Net, and other publications".

Extensive Google searches in Arabic and English have so far failed to locate any article published under his name – apart from his apparent scoop for Mint News on Saudi-supplied chemical weapons in Syria (see earlier blog post). Various people have also been trying to contact him through social media, so far without any response.

If it turns out that Ababneh has made false claims about his journalistic career there will be no reason to trust his reporting from Syria either. Unless he surfaces soon to defend himself, people are surely going to assume the worst.

- See more at : http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2013/september/syria-rebel-chemicals-mystery-deepens.htm#sthash.dBdrpe2L.dpuf