In May 2013 in Adana, chemical substances used for sarin production seized during the operation of Turkish police against the members of Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front. Heysam Kassab, a critical figure arrested during the operation, declared the prosecution office that he was a member of “Liwa Al-Islam”, a chemical attack group suspected to be behind the attack took place in Damascus on August 21.
The report by public prosecutor’s Office of Adana reveals that Heysam Kassab, born in Homs in Syria, built a large network in Turkey in order to get the substances required for chemical weapon production. According to the report, some figures linked with public security offices of Turkish State involve in illegal activities and serves for the network as well.
Cooperation with a large transportation company
Having been requested chemical substances; Heysam Kassab made contact with Raif Ay, owner of CEM AY Nakliyat, one of the biggest transportation companies in Hatay, and asked him to provide the list of chemical substances.
Having understood that Raif Ay’s cousin B.A. was working as an assistant at Çukurova University, Chemistry Department, Kassab gave B.A. the list of substances. However only four of six chemical substances could be purchased on the market while the remaining two substances were sold legal entities by the permission of Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE). The list of substances included lethal white phosphorus (P4), use of which is codified as a war crime.
Although B.A. told Raif Ay that Kassab was a suspicious man, according to telephone records on the report, B.A. continued helping Kassab to provide the substances, trade of which was illegal. Calling the news office of soL, Raif Ay claimed that he decided to stop communicating with Kassab after he learned that the substances he had demanded could not be purchased legally on the market without permission.
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Government invites Raif Ay to the security meeting
Raif Ay was among the participators who were invited to the security meeting of the government, organized after the attack in Reyhanlı on 11 May 2013. He told nothing on Kassab during the go-vernment meeting, but continued to cooperate with him.
Religious community leader contact
Kassab contacted with Raif Ay through a religious community leader, Nasır Erdoğan. Kassab was living in Erdoğan’s house. According to telephone records, Raif Ay called Nasır Erdoğan “Sheikh”. Raif Ay knew Nasır Erdoğan as Sheikh Abu Umeyr. During a telephone interview with news office of soL, Raif Ay claimed that he called Nasır Erdoğan sheikh because “scholars are called sheikh in the region”.
Same organization attacked Damascus?
Kassab told he was a member of Liwa Al-Islam organization. Zahran Alloush, who has close relations with Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, head of Saudi Secret Service, leads this organization. After the attack on 21 August, Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported that the region fired with chemical weapon missiles was under the control of Liwa Al-Islam during the attack. Russian Secret Service also confirmed this information. Liwa Al-Islam was the organization that “allowed” UN team to make investigation in the region.
Youtube videos took on 21 August and a video on the cell phone of one of the three militants killed by the fighters of Kurdistan Regional Government are the most important evidences that reveal Liwa Al-Islam was suspicious. The operation is called “Cold Wind Operation” by a militant on a video, on which banner of Liwa Al-Islam on weapons is visible, while the members of the organization wear gas masks.
The videos broadcasted on soL Portal, the website of soL Newspaper. Please click the link to see the news and videos:
Doğan Ergün/Özgür Savaşçıoğlu/Yiğit Günay – soL
Translated by Kerem Cantekin
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