Syria’s President Assad says British White Helmets founder James Le Mesurier was killed by ‘CIA and western intelligence, just like Jeffrey Epstein’

• Bashar al-Assad claims CIA is behind the death of the founder of White Helmets 
• James Le Mesurier found dead after apparently falling from a third floor ledge
• Le Mesurier’s wife Emma Winberg gave a three-hour statement to Turkish police
• She has reportedly been banned from leaving Turkey until investigation is over 
• Police are examining records where Le Mesurier sought mental health treatment 
• Russia claimed Le Mesurier was a MI6 spy, which his family has strongly denied

Will Stewart in Moscow, James Fielding in Istanbul and Tim Stickings – Daily Mail Nov 14, 2019

James Le Mesurier. Click to enlarge

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has accused the CIA and ‘Western intelligence’ services of being behind the death of James Le Mesurier, the British co-founder of the White Helmets civil defence group.

The Syrian dictator used an interview with Russian state media to claim the Turkish intelligence services may have carried out the killing on behalf of the West.

The 48-year-old was found dead at 5.30am on Monday morning after apparently falling from a third floor ledge at an apartment above his office in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul.

But Assad linked his death to Western secret services and claimed the killing was carried out in a similar fashion to that of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell in August awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Emma Winberg, wife of Le Mesurier, said her husband had suicidal thoughts two weeks before he fell to his death, she told police yesterday.

Ms Winberg has now been banned from leaving Turkey until the investigation ends in case authorities need to speak to her again, according to Turkish media.

Police are treating Le Mesurier’s death as suicide and there is no indication that Ms Winberg is a suspect.

But Assad had another theory and told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti as well as TV channel Rossiya 24: ‘Of course, this is the work of intelligence services.

‘We are talking about Western intelligence as a whole, about Turkish and some others [operating] in our region.

‘These are not intelligence services of sovereign states but units of the key intelligence service – the CIA.’

This file photo shows a member of the so-called White Helmets “aid” group which independent researchers cite as an example of group members previously being part of terrorist groups in Syria. Click to enlarge

Assad went on to claim the White Helmets were part of Al-Qaeda and that Le Mesurier was killed for knowing ‘very important secrets’.

He claimed: ‘In order not to talk about this incident separately, it is better to consider it with similar events.

‘American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was killed a few weeks ago. It was said that he committed suicide in prison.

‘But he was killed because he knew quite a few very important secrets related to important persons in the British and American regimes and, possibly, in other countries.

‘A key person in the White Helmets was in Germany and was killed in prison.

‘It was said that he committed suicide. Now the main founder of White Helmets was killed.

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