Gregory Koblentz, associate professor at George Mason University and a member of the Scientists Working Group at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said that the attack appeared to have used chemical weapons.
“I’ve looked at some of the images and videos … it definitely appears to be some sort of chemical attack, since the victims don’t have any obvious signs of injury,” Koblentz said in a phone interview Tuesday. “And the [victims] are all getting hosed off before being admitted to hospitals. It’s a clear sign that the first responders are worried about chemical agents.”
But, he said, without getting environmental samples and samples from victims “it won’t be possible to be definitive.” There were reports that some of the victims had been rushed across the border to Turkey for further analysis, he said.
