Thread by @Qoppa999

Bellingcat - Garbage alert!

While correcting the wrong claims in the Newsweek article, Higgins uses the opportunity to recycle his own shoddy analysis about the "persistence of sarin".

"Clearly"? - "Any claims"?? - Really???

bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018…

Here's what the two reports which he quotes actually say:
determining sarin persistence is complex, dependent on many conditions, especially temperature:

(GB = sarin)
rapporter.ffi.no/rapporter/2013…

Higgins fails to even address the issue of temperatures in the relevant timeframe.
@Mare_Indicum presents the best estimate:

https://twitter.com/Mare_Indicum/status/961976551179874307

In his article from last August, Higgins weasels, in his typical manner, around the problem: clearly not the time of posting the videos is relevant, but when they were shot!

bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017…

E.g. this widely shared photo, while suggestive, doesn't make the case as it was taken on 5 April, one day after the alleged attack.

However, this one does: from OrientNews video, posted on 4 April, time is appr. ~ 8:30 am, = less than 2 hours after alleged sarin attack!

And this one: a close-up from a WhiteHelmet camera (Hamid Kutini), appr. ~ 9 am.

Who in his right mind would knowingly approach the release point of sarin, capable of killing 80+ people, injuring 400+?

And even better:
here we see WH Anas al-Diab & team, totally unperturbed, just 5 meters away from alleged toxic crater.
Time appr. the same as previous crater view (before ~ 9 am)!

===> There was no sarin release from the mythical "crater" on April 4!

Bellingcat brags about analysing "open source information" - but regularly fails to do it properly!

More on Higgins' dishonest way of framing arguments, by @GarethPorter:

https://twitter.com/GarethPorter/status/962102320753504258