DISINFO: White Helmets have arrived in Idlib province to conduct a false flag attack
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: it.sputniknews.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: January 28, 2020
  • Outlet language(s): Italian
  • Reported in: Issue 184
  • Countries / regions discussed: Syria
Tags:
false flag White Helmets Chemical weapons/attack Terrorism Syrian War

DISINFO: White Helmets have arrived in Idlib province to conduct a false flag attack

SUMMARY

Militants of the White Helmets organisation have arrived in a village in the Idlib province, presumably to conduct a false flag attack, in order to subsequently accuse the Syrian army. Chemists trained in Europe work in Idlib laboratories where toxic substances are prepared.

RESPONSE

This claim involves unfounded speculation, based on no supporting evidence, to smear the White Helmets, a humanitarian organisation. This case promotes recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives attempting to deflect blame for chemical attacks from the Assad regime and implicate the White Helmets instead, as well as paint the White Helmets as terrorists and blame Western governments and organisations for “false-flag attacks” in Syria.

Furthermore, there is no evidence to support the claim that chemists trained in Europe are working in Idlib laboratories preparing toxic substances. This is a conspiracy theory.

Read similar cases claiming that the intelligence services of France and Belgium are preparing a false-flag chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib province, in coordination with local terrorist cells and the White Helmets group, and that the leaders of the terrorist group Tahrir al-Sham, together with Members of the White Helmets, plan to conduct false flag attacks.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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