Thread by @EliotHiggins

New OPCW Fact Finding Mission report on Douma published, it's very long and detailed.
opcw.org/sites/default/…

The OPCW FFM also examined the supposed chemical weapons labs the Syrian army showed off to reporters and activists, some of whom were gullible enough to believe them. I like this part in particular cc @DanKaszeta @Partisangirl

Back in April 2018 @arawnsley spoke to experts about the supposed chemical weapons lab found in Douma, who stated they weren't producing chemical weapons, as the OPCW now confirms bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018…

It should be noted they don't place blame, assumedly because it's not in the OPCW-FFM's remit to do so, so there's likely another report to come.

The OPCW FFM did a very detailed analysis of the bedroom impact site, indicating the cylinder continued travelling after it impacted the roof, and ended up the bed, not placed there on purpose as some have claimed.

From the OPCW FFM report, a detailed diagram of the building hit by one chlorine cylinder, known as Location 2 in the report. Consistent with the analysis done by @Bellingcat, @nytimes and @ForensicArchi

The OPCW FFM used expert analysis to compare the damage at the two impact sites in Douma to simulations that showed the damage was consistent with the two cylinders hitting the sites.

More images of the modified chlorine gas cylinder in the bedroom impact site (Location 4), clearly showing the same sort of metal frame seen on other chlorine munitions in previous attacks. (pg 20)

Hopefully those so-called journalists who repeated the Syrian army's claims about these locations being chemical weapon factories will now retract their false claims and apologise for misleading their readers.

The OPCW FFM examined images they received showing the bodies in the building one cylinder hit. It states the symptoms "indicate exposure to an inhalational irritant or toxic substance", but don't have enough information from those images to link it to one particular substance.

Despite claims to the contrary, the OPCW FFM says no "organophosphorous nerve agents, their degradation products or synthesis impurities" (which includes Sarin) were found.

The OPCW FFM report is clear the impact sites and damage to the cylinders are consistent with the damage at the impact sites being caused by the cylinders, which would be consistent with them being dropped from helicopters.

The OPCW FFM report concludes there's "reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon took place. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine. The toxic chemical was likely molecular chlorine."

The OPCW FFM report shows they were still waiting for samples to be tested and returned to them a few weeks ago, for those of you wondering why it takes so long for these reports to be published.

The OPCW FFM notes the mangled ironwork near the cylinder at the balcony site, and notes marks on the cylinder from it hitting the ironwork, as @ForensicArchi and @malachybrowne's team at the @nytimes noted.

The OPCW FFM also examined the question to why the cylinder didn't fully penetrate the roof at the balcony site, coming to the conclusion it was because it hit the corner of the building on the way down.

This including computer modelling of the cylinder, which demonstrated the damage on the real cylinder was consistent with it hitting the corner of the building. This is further proof the cylinders were dropped from the air.

There's been some questions to why there were blackened walls in the room below the balcony site, something the OPCW FFM raises. One witnesses claimed it was a fire started to detoxify the room, but the motivation is not stated.

The OPCW FFM also notes objects were removed from the balcony site, including the metal frame seen in other images that would be the strongest evidence it's an airdropped munition used by the Syrian air force.

Onto the bedroom impact site, this one has caused controversy because some people believed it was possible for the cylinder to travel from the hole in the roof to the bed. The OPCW FFM tests these theories in their report.

In this diagram the OPCW FFM indicate signs of impact, which it believes shows the cylinder continued to travel after it came through the roof, hitting objects as it moved.

Interesting, the OPCW FFM mentions a funnel cap at the bedroom site, mentioning it matches one at the balcony site, but I can't see them referring to it in the section about the balcony site.

The funnel cap might be represented by the dotted line on this diagram of the munitions, time to go back and check all the videos of the balcony site for a funnel cap.

In conclusion, while the OPCW FFM report doesn't point any fingers, it does contain plenty of detailed information which indicates the chlorine cylinders were airdropped, and the rebels don't have an airforce, so you can draw your own conclusions on that.