Turkey, yellow on the death of one of the founders of the White Helmets. He had been accused of espionage by the Russians

ISTANBUL – One of the founders of the Syrian humanitarian organization "White Helmets" was found dead this morning near his apartment in Istanbul. James Le Mesurier, 48, former army officer and former British secret service agent MI6 who had contributed to the birth of the rescuer group and to the Mayday Rescue, he would fall from the balcony of his apartment: the body had fractures to both hands and feet and a wound on the face.Last Friday Le Mesurier, he also worked for the United Nations, had been accused of espionage and proximity to terrorist groups in a tweet from the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Maria Zakharova.

The Turkish police investigate the place where the body was found

There CNN he reports that Le Mesurier's wife allegedly told the police that her husband had taken sleeping pills and then went to the door, saying he had heard a knock at around 4 am, only to be advised that the body was outside the front door, at the balcony. In the house, on the third floor of the same building where the headquarters of the 'White Helmets' is located, it is possible to enter only after being recognized by fingerprints.Turkish investigative sources reported to the Reuters that the police are investigating by suicide, specifying however that suspicious movements have not been detected at the time from the surveillance cameras in the area and the Turkish bath, but the agency itself reports the opinion of a diplomat who is following the affair in Istanbul and explains that the causes of death are not clear.

"We were informed by his family that he was dead," he told al The Independent Raed al-Salah, head of the White Helmets: The humanitarian organization is "devastated" by the news, he added.

"We learned with shock and sadness the news of death today at his Tophane home in Istanbul, Turkey, of @lemesurierjames, founder and director of the @MaydayRescue humanitarian organization," reads a tweet of the 'white helmets'.

The news of the death of @lemesurierjames, founder and director of the humanitarian organization @MaydayRescue, early on Monday at his home in Tophane in Istanbul, Turkey. Mayday is one of the institutions supporting the White Helmets. pic.twitter.com/czhB3IkdWN

– The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) November 11, 2019

"The family of Syrian Civil Defense expresses its heartfelt condolences to James' family – adds another tweet – We must commend his work in the humanitarian field that the Syrians will always remember."

In 2013, Le Mesurier together with his group had helped to form and then finance, with funds from Great Britain, the United States, UN agencies and the international cooperation of many countries, the White Helmets, a group of Syrian volunteers committed to rescuing the victims of bombings in Syria. For his contribution in support of the victims of the war in Syria, Le Mesurier had been appointed knight from Queen Elizabeth in 2016.

The White Helmets in Syria

The White Helmets have saved thousands of people in their years of work in Syria and collected praise all over the world, starting with the United Nations, for their work. They were also candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize: a film about them, Last men in Aleppo, came to run for the Oscars with the support of dozens of Hollywood stars. But they have also been accused of being close to Islamic extremists and of propaganda against the Bashar al-Assad regime and Russia spreading false news, photos and videos. The celebrity of the White Helmets has also risen with videos shared on the internet of rescues carried out following Russian air raids in Aleppo. Videos that have infuriated Moscow and Damascus, which accuse the White Helmets of misinformation and propaganda in favor of the West.

The organization has always declared itself neutral and has never had problems with the Turkish government. Mayday Rescue and White Helmets have been based in Istanbul since 2015, where Le Mesurier worked. Activities that earned Le Mesurier the knighthood, conferred in 2016 by the Queen of England.

#Zakharova: The White Helmets' co-founder, James Le Mesurier, is a former agent of Britain's MI6, who has been spotted around the world, including in the #Balkans and the #MiddleEast. His connections to terrorist groups were reported back during his mission in #Kosovo. pic.twitter.com/Fa7JTuP39Z

– MFA Russia ???? (@Mfa_russia) 8 November 2019