Syrian Rebels Behind Chemical Attack, Weapons Provided by Saudi Arabia, Says Report

The Obama administration seems confident that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was behind the recent chemical attack that killed at least 355 Syrian citizens, but a new report places the blame on Syrian rebel forces, who the United States is backing.

An article published today by Mint Press News claims the Syrian rebels got chemical weapons from Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and were responsible for the lethal gas attack in Ghouta, Syria.

The article was co-written by Dale Gavlak, who has been a Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, worked for National Public Radio (NPR) and written for the BBC.

“My son came to me two weeks ago asking what I thought [about] the weapons that he had been asked to carry,” said Abu Abdel-Moneim, a father of a Syrian rebel, to Mint Press News.

Abdel-Moneim claims his son and 12 other rebels were given weapons with a “tube-like structure” and a “huge gas bottle.”

He claims the weapons were given to the Syrian rebels by a Saudi militant, Abu Ayesha, per orders from Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

“They didn’t tell us what these arms were or how to use them," said a female rebel named "K." "We didn’t know they were chemical weapons. We never imagined they were chemical weapons. When Saudi Prince Bandar gives such weapons to people, he must give them to those who know how to handle and use them."

A rebel leader named "J" added: “We were very curious about these arms. And unfortunately, some of the fighters handled the weapons improperly and set off the explosions."

More than a dozen Syrian rebels interviewed by Mint Press News claimed their payment came from the Saudi government