The foreign minister of France has made it official.
Analysis of samples taken in Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, by French scientists proves that the agent used in the April 4 chemical weapons attack was definitely sarin nerve gas and was the same as used in other Syrian attacks.
“Environmental sampling and sampling from the victims were carried out immediately after the attack, as well as from the place of the attack,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
“This analysis was confirmed by several partners, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,” he said.
He continued, “We are able to confirm that the sarin used on April 4 is the same sarin used in a grenade attack on Saraqeb on April 29, 2013, from which one (grenade) was retrieved and analyzed by our (intelligence) services.”
France’s military and foreign intelligence services have issued a six-page report detailing their findings.
Sarin is a colorless, odorless liquid, used as a chemical weapon due to its extreme potency as a nerve agent. It is generally considered a weapon of mass destruction. Production and stockpiling of sarin was outlawed in April 1997 by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.
