Assad told how to 'manipulate' Americans

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad was told how to manipulate Americans before his December interview with ABC News, e-mails leaked by Anonymous reveal.

The hacker group got into the mail server of the Syrian Ministry of Presidential Affairs and rifled through the inboxes of Assad's aides and advisers, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Tuesday.

Documents leaked by Anonymous indicate that before the ABC interview a press attache at the Syrian mission to the United Nations sent a long e-mail with recommendations on how Assad should handle questions.

Sheherazad Jaafari recommended Assad flatly deny that his government kills and tortures people but say that mistakes were made in the beginning of the crisis.

She wrote the "American psyche can be easily manipulated when they hear that there are mistakes done and now we are fixing it."

Jaafari also suggested citing articles in the U.S. media indicating Americans want their government to stop interfering in the affairs of other countries.

"It is worth mentioning that when Obama asked H.E. [Assad] to step down he himself have had a 70 percent decrease of popularity in the states," Jaafari wrote.

Jaafari is the daughter of the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations.