82°F
weather icon Clear

Test indicates Syria used sarin in chemical attack

Updated April 19, 2017 - 6:12 am

BEIRUT — Britain’s delegation to the chemical weapons watchdog says its director has told a meeting that tests indicate that sarin or a similar toxin was used in an April 4 attack in Syria that killed nearly 90 people.

In a tweet Wednesday, the U.K. delegation said Ahmet Uzumcu, the director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, made the statement at the opening of a closed-door meeting of the OPCW’s executive council, which was discussing the attack.

Turkish and British tests also have concluded that sarin or a substance similar to the deadly nerve agent was used.

The United States blamed the chemical attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun on the government and fired nearly 60 missiles at a Syrian air base in response.

Syria’s government denies the allegations.

The OPCW had no immediate comment.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Fed leaves interest rates unchanged even as Trump demands cuts

The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year, brushing off repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a cut.

Worst tsunami risk passes for Hawaii, US after 8.8 Russia quake

The dire warnings following the massive quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula evoked memories of catastrophic damage caused by tsunamis over the last quarter-century.

MORE STORIES