White Helmets co-founder was not murdered, concludes Turkey

Turkish prosecutors have closed the case into the death of the co-founder of the White Helmets, James Le Mesurier, after discovering no evidence of foul play in regards to his death.

Le Mesurier, a former British intelligence officer who helped set up and launch the Syrian Civil Defence – known as the White Helmets – which consists of medics operating in north-west Syria, was found dead outside his home in the city of Istanbul on 11 November 2019.

Following the discovery of his body in the early hours of that morning, there was much speculation that he was deliberately killed on the orders of Russia due to his involvement in the White Helmets’ activities, his roots and connections in the intelligence community, and his opposition to the Syrian regime’s bombardment of Idlib.

The investigation into his death also looked into his wife Emma Winberg’s involvement, who was prohibited from leaving Turkey during the investigation as she was asleep in their Istanbul home at the time of his death. Prosecutors also cleared her of any involvement and declared grounds for non-prosecution for her.

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The four-page report released by the Forensic Medicine Institute revealed that Le Mesurier – who was 48 years old at the time – suffered internal bleeding and broken bones.

The case for his potential murder was based on initial evidence preceding and during his death, including footage of him in a grocery store smiling while purchasing cigarettes for him and his wife, and his dead body wearing the same clothes and watch as when he was recorded hours before.

His outfit and appearance did not match the case of a man having gone to bed, despite Winberg saying he had given her and himself sleeping pills before they went to sleep.

The report and autopsy concluded that Le Mesurier had “general body trauma linked to a fall from height,” and that they discovered no DNA belonging to another person.

The White Helmets have long been opposed by the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad and its ally Russia who have accused it of being linked to terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda due to its operation in opposition-held Idlib. The civil defence group has repeatedly highlighted bombing campaigns by the regime and its allies on civilian targets.

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