PRESS RELEASE

Syrian Opposition Group al-Nusra
Caught with Sarin Gas by Turks

May 31, 2013 (EIRNS)—It is now confirmed that it is the Syrian opposition that is using poison gas.

According to Today's Zaman and other Turkish media, seven members of the al-Qaeda-linked terror group al-Nusra were detained on May 29 after police found 2 kilograms of sarin gas, which was being prepared to be used in a bomb attack. The 12 suspects were arrested following a search of the suspects' houses in southern Turkish provinces of Adana and Mersin May 27. They were said to have been planning an attack in Adana on May 30. Police also discovered hand guns and grenades and ammunition.

While both the U.S. and now the United Nations have sought to officially distance themselves from the al-Nusra group, which explicitly swears allegiance to al-Qaeda, all knowledgeable observers in the region report that al-Nusra is the leading force in the opposition's military campaign.

While the Assad government has itself accused the opposition of using chemical weapons, the first non-Syrian source to second that evaluation was UN Commissioner Carla Del Ponte, who issued a preliminary report in early May that evidence showed it was the opposition, not the Assad government, that had used the poisonous toxins.