Image of Syrian boy in desert triggers sympathy – and then a backlash

A heart-rending picture of a four-year-old Syrian boy apparently alone in the desert, separated from his family and clutching a tattered plastic bag of possessions, seemed to epitomise the refugee crisis caused by the civil war. The image went viral after it was tweeted by United Nations staff who helped the child find his family, with the caption: "Here 4 year old Marwan, who was temporarily separated from his family …", and then retweeted to a wider audience by a CNN International anchor with the caption "UN staff found 4 year-old Marwan crossing desert alone after being separated from family fleeing #Syria". But it was not quite what it seemed at first glance.