White Helmets backer’s spy smears
Mystery surrounds the death of the former British soldier who backed Syria’s White Helmets, after his body was found in the street days after the Kremlin accused him of being an MI6 agent with terrorist connections.
James Le Mesurier, 48, an exbritish Army officer, is thought to have fallen from the balcony of his home in Istanbul where he lived with his wife.
British intelligence agencies are monitoring the situation with Whitehall sources stressing it was too soon to say if he was a victim of foul play.
The intelligence services have questioned persistent Russian attacks against Le Mesurier for his support of the rescue group. One Syrian expert said he had faced ‘‘unimaginable pressure and targeting as a result’’.
Istanbul detectives are investigating his death, and while the exact circumstances remain unclear, Turkish security officials suggested it was being treated as a suspected suicide.
Mayday Rescue, the organisation Le Mesurier set up, confirmed his death, but warned against ‘‘unnecessary speculation about the cause’’.
Mayday Rescue organised and trained the White Helmets rescue group, which was set up in 2013. It grew into a vast network of volunteers operating in opposition-held areas of Syria, and scrambled to rescue victims of air raids conducted by the Bashar al-assad regime and aided by the Syrian president’s Russian allies.
‘‘James dedicated his life to helping civilians respond to emergencies in conflicts and natural disasters,’’ Mayday Rescue said in a statement.
Le Mesurier was awarded an OBE in 2016 for his work to protect civilians in Syria, and both he and the White Helmets received international media attention and were the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary.
But he was the target of a disinformation campaign by the Kremlin, which accused him – sources insisted falsely – of being a British intelligence agent and even an al Qaeda supporter.
As recently as three days ago, the Russian ministry of foreign affairs accused him of being a ‘‘former agent of Britain’s MI6’’ and working for the agency in the Balkans, Middle East and Kosovo, adding: ‘‘His connections to terrorist groups were reported back during his mission in Kosovo.’’
– Telegraph Group