Alleged Chemical Attack, April 7, 2018

...the Syrian government allegedly launched a new chemical weapons attack in the surrounded and partially evacuated city of Douma.
 * Following on...
 * multiple explicit warnings by the Russian military that they are aware of US plans to stage chemical weapons attacks and use them as justification to bomb Damascus, and their willingness to answer this provocation by targeting not just the missiles but the ships that fire them
 * a completely moronic fairy tale about an attack on a British spy with an extravagant Russian nerve agent
 * an exceptionally fast and successful campaign of the SAA against the "rebel" pocket in the eastern Ghouta
 * a statement by Trump that the US military will be out of Syria "very soon", which apparently surprised the state department and pentagon establishment

7 April witnessed two alleged chemical attacks on Douma; as reported, an aerial chlorine attack in the afternoon sickened some and killed no one. Then at 7:30 to 9:00 PM (accounts differ), a helicopter barrel bomb attack with chlorine and/or sarin (accounts and details vary). This allegedly killed at least 85 civilians, by some reports 180 or more (Zaher Sahloul), with 700-1000 said to be affected and death toll expected to climb.

The development storms the "western" media, triggering outraged-sounding tweets by the US president. Unclaimed airstrikes on Syria's Tiyas or T-4 airbase follow, denied by the US, suspected by Israel, and then the largest US missile attack yet, with the aid of France and the UK.

ACLOS core member Adam Larson (Caustic Logic) has taken a first look at the story over there. Some 30-40 bodies were shown in one building alone, with most videos and photos being of about 20 bodies piled by the stairs in the basement, mostly women and children. So far the victims seem to be unidentified strangers, for the most part if not totally. They tend to be in grubby street clothes, but tend to have lost their shoes along the way. They have smoke-stained hands and unexplained injuries, including what seems like healing "raccoon eyes" suggesting skull fracture in the prior days. They don't look like normal chlorine or sarin victims, appearing livid (red) more than cyanotic (blue), lacking much for red eyes (a chlorine sign), and some but limited signs of SLUDGE syndrome. The 20 bodies and others seem to be piled and re-arranged like props, and probably exaggerated with "foaming at the mouth" special effects.

Nerve agent?

 * Syria attack: nerve agent experts race to smuggle bodies out of Douma - Martin Chulov, April 12, 2018
 * ''Corpses could provide vital clues for US technicians trying to establish which chemicals were used in the deadly bombing
 * U.S. officials: Blood samples show nerve agent, chlorine in Syria gas attack - NBC news, April 12, 2018

Video
YouTube playlist by Qoppa Q
 * Douma Chemical Massacre, 7 April 2018

Videos from Yaser Aldoumani:
 * Best video of the main massacre scene by Yaser Aldoumani
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TElceE3aLI
 * 1) again main scene, more footage
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajpjrYSOoYM
 * 2) from clinic (includes some absurd niqab hosing :)
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwcV0sup_o
 * 3) NEW: massive morgue scene, many more victims!
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIyGJugmGaI
 * Douma City (logo): longer video of clinic scene
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNCIRYBhtVs
 * longer versions of upstairs scene
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl6h6fd0EKg
 * Comic relief: Salloum al-Abd & KS WhiteHelmets
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9QLVDNhlQ
 * Qasioun shows victims in main location
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozZlXcYQ9c
 * Civil Defense pulls out dozens of children's bodies hours after chemical massacre of Douma - SMART News Agency April 8, 2018
 * White Helmets remove bodies from Douma ghost house.
 * Halab Today TV
 * Video on Facebook
 * (Use FBDown Video Downloader Chrome extension to download. FBDown won't work for private or "covered" videos)
 * Mid-Day Newscast April 8
 * CIVIL DEFENSE PULLS OUT DOZENS OF CHILDREN'S BODIES HOURS AFTER CHEMICAL MASSACRE IN DOUMA - SMART News, April 8, 2018

Pro-Government videos

 * ANNA news, April 9, 2018
 * They visit Douma, interview soldiers. They are told that an offensive operation was conducted, without any gas masks. They say that chemical attack did not take place, and moreover would be impossible as they have been advancing
 * Almadar News, April 9, 2018
 * Russian military police vehicle arrives somewhere, nothing found.
 * BREAKING! There Has Been NO Chemical Attack in Douma - “Vesti” Correspondent Reports - Vesti News, April 10, 2018
 * Russian MoD Briefing: Syrian Eyewitnesses Reveal How Douma Provocation Was Made - Sputnik, April 13, 2018

Hostages

 * vanessa beeley @VanessaBeeley on Twitter, April 9, 2018 2:18 am
 * ''Thousands of kidnap victims are being released after 6 yrs in Jaish Al Islam ‘repentance’ prisons where they suffered horrific torture & abuse. Emotional scenes as first bus leaves liberated #Douma #EasternGhouta reunited with families in Damascus. Incredible 🇸🇾❤️

Witnesses

 * See /Witnesses

Timeline

 * See /Timeline

Russian Version
On April 13, Russian Defense ministry spokesperson Konashenkov gave a briefing to the press (video incl. English subtitles) about evidence they had gathered about the staging of the event, pointing at "London" as the organizers. As summarized by TASS:

On the MoD video, we are told (and see a brief, apparently consistent video fragment) on which the two Syrians point to themselves shown on the White Helmets video. We are told that a detailed version of this fragment will be given to journalists present at the briefing. The next day Iad Tawil published on twitter what looks like that promised material, with proper English subtitles. On April 16, Alexandr Shulgin introduced this "irrefutable evidence" to the executive council of the OPCW.


 * Sources
 * Lie Upon Lie - Lavrov Chronicles Timeline of Western Duplicity to Strike Against Syria - Vesti News, April 15, 2018 (video)
 * Moscow has ‘irrefutable’ evidence chem attack in Syria’s Douma was staged – Russia’s envoy to OPCW - RT, April 16, 2018

French Version
On April 14, the French Defense Ministry released a report on their "evidence" that the "Syrian regime" did it. Read by someone with rusty French knowledge, the broad line is: It is looking (by unnamed "French experts") at the "rebel"-provided videos and stories, finding they "don't look fabricated"; then trying to create a motive for Assad out of the situation in Douma at the time of the alleged attack, with the Army of Islam surrounded and on its last leg; then some vague claims about undeclared rests of the destroyed Syrian CW program; and then the usual "we know he did it because he did it before" stunt referring to last year's alleged attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

BBC producer's about turn

 * Riam Dalati @Dalatrm on Twitter, February 14, 2019 (protected tweet)
 * ''Truth is @James__Harkin got the basics right in terms of #Douma's "propaganda" value. The ATTACK DID HAPPEN, sarin wasn't used, but we'll have to wait for @OPCW to prove chlorine or otherwise. However, everything else around the attack was manufactured for maximum effect.
 * BBC Producer Says Footage of Alleged Gas Attack Victims in Syria's Douma Staged - Sputnik, February 14, 2019
 * BBC Producer's Syria Bombshell: Douma "Gas Attack" Footage "Was Staged" - ZeroHedge, February 14, 2019
 * BBC-staged footage on Syria’s Douma Western media's ‘theater of absurd’: Russia - PressTV, https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/14/588550/BBC-footage-of-alleged-gas-attack-victims-in-Syrias-Douma-theater-of-absurd-Russia-says
 * Analysis: Was 'staged' gas attack footage used to bomb Syria? - Abhishek G Bhaya, CGTN, February 15, 2019
 * BBC producer says hospital scenes after 2018 Douma ‘chemical attack’ were staged - RT, February 15, 2019
 * "I can prove the Douma hospital scene was staged!" says BBC Producer Riam Dalati - Gordon Dimmack, February 14, 2019 (video)
 * Real ‘obscene masquerade’: How BBC depicted staged hospital scenes as proof of Douma chemical attack - Vanessa Beeley, RT, February 16, 2019

Analysis
https://www.opcw.org/sites/default/files/documents/2019/03/s-1731-2019%28e%29.pdf
 * Syria - Timelines Of 'Gas Attacks' Follow A Similar Scheme - Moon of Alabama, April 8, 2018
 * New Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack Being Reported By All The Usual Suspects - Caitlin Johnstone, April 8, 2018
 * Ghouta is Arabic for "Reichstag Fire", Publius Tacitus, Sic Semper Tyrannis, April 8, 2018
 * Another Jihadi defeat in Syria; another alleged chemical attack - Alexander Mercouris, The Duran, April 8, 2018
 * Eastern Ghouta and the miraculous chemical bombs - Human rights investigations, April 9, 2018
 * Douma Chemical Attack: Timeline of facts so far - OffGuardian, April 8, 2018
 * Open Source Survey of Alleged Chemical Attacks in Douma on 7th April 2018 - Bellingcat Investigation Team, April 11, 2018
 * Douma Videos and Photos - Stephen McIntyre, April 24, 2018
 * A Douma chemical attack false flag scenario does not make sense at all. Here is why. - Feit of fake, May 9, 2018
 * Preliminary OPCW report, July 6, 2018
 * OPCW Final report S/1731/2019, 1 March 2019

Russian Note Verbale to OPCW with essentially the same analysis as the suppressed engineering assessment

Suppressed OPCW Engineering Report
ACLOS posting:

ACLOS Posting:

Sources and commentary:
 * Assessment by the engineering sub-team of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission investigating the alleged chemical attack in Douma in April 2018 - Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media, May 2019
 * Tim Hayward
 * Sputnik News
 * Syria - * OPCW Engineering Assessment: The Douma 'Chemical Weapon Attack' Was Staged - Moon of Alabama, May 13, 2019
 * Leaked Document Pokes More Holes In Establishment Syria Narrative - Caitlin Johnstone, May 14, 2019
 * Off-Guardian
 * Peter Hitchens asks OPCW about the report, getting confirmation it's a legitimate OPCW product and (obviously) wasn't meant to be published. Their response to him said in part:"Pursuant to its established policies and practices, the OPCW Technical Secretariat is conducting an internal investigation about the unauthorised release of the document in question."
 * Leaked OPCW memo casts doubt on watchdog’s Douma ‘chemical attack’ conclusions RT News video, May 18, 2019
 * Leaked document revives controversy over Syria chemical attacks Brian Whitaker, Medium.com, May 16
 * One story circulating in the chemical weapons community (though not confirmed) is that Henderson had wanted to join the FFM and got rebuffed but was then given permission to do some investigating on the sidelines of the FFM. The suggestion (again, not confirmed) is that this was a way of extending his contract at the OPCW. If true, it might explain how he appeared to be working with the FFM while not (according to the OPCW press office) actually being part of it.


 * Leaked report says the “chemical attack” in Syria in April 2018 was staged. WGSPM press release, May 20, 2019
 * The leak encourages Assad to conduct a chlorine attack in Idlib, allegedly, on May 19, again probably in defiance of all binding laws of physics, besides CW conventions. US State Department stern warning
 * Institute for Public Accuracy airs Prof. Ted Postol's thoughts. Just relating what the Henderson report says, he already sounds quite different from a few months earlier: to James Harkin, Postol "immediately concurred with the analysis of internet investigators like (Bellingcat founder Eliot) Higgins" and thought Assad-dropped chlorine bombs definitely killed those people. Now he's not so sure, and says "I will have a much more detailed summary of the engineering report later this week.")
 * Caitlyn Johnstone writes on alleged Idlib attack and Postol's appearance, May 22
 * Remarks of the Director-General at the Briefing for States Parties on Syrian Arab Republic: Update on IIT-FFM-SSRC-DAT 28 May 2019
 * Brian Whitaker tries to spin the OPCW Director General comments on the Henderson Report - suggests the Russians plagiarised it for their note verbale