Douma Chemical Attack One Building, One Bomb: How Assad Gassed His Own People Syrian officials say there wasn’t a chemical attack. What really happened?

We created a virtual crime scene to investigate this bombing. Explore the scene in augmented reality.

On April 7, a chemical bomb was dropped onto the balcony of a multistory building in Douma, a neighborhood near Damascus, Syria. At least 34 people were killed.

The United States and its European allies blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and launched airstrikes to punish him.

Syrian officials still deny that bombing took place, and their Russian allies said that the attack was staged.

The investigation uncovered many pieces of evidence that contradict Mr. Assad and his allies. Here are some of the things we found:

Area of detail The bomb was found on this top floor balcony. Lattice 4 At least 34 bodies inside and outside the building could be seen in videos recorded after the attack. 3 Key pieces of evidence 1 Indentation near the nose. 2 Black corrosion from chlorine gas. 3 Lattice imprint on the bomb. 4 Bomb’s rigging found in the debris. 2 1 The bomb was found on this top floor balcony. Lattice 4 3 Area of detail 2 1 Key pieces of evidence 1 Indentation near the nose. 2 Black corrosion from chlorine gas. 3 Lattice imprint on the bomb. 4 Bomb’s rigging found in the debris. The bomb was found on this top floor balcony. Lattice 4 3 Area of detail 2 1 Key pieces of evidence 1 Indentation near the nose. 2 Black corrosion from chlorine gas. 3 Lattice imprint on the bomb. 4 Bomb’s rigging found in the debris. Area of detail At least 34 bodies inside and outside the building could be seen in videos recorded after the attack. The bomb was found on this top-floor balcony. Lattice 4 3 2 1 Key pieces of evidence 1 Indentation near the nose. 2 Black corrosion from chlorine gas. 3 Lattice imprint on the bomb. 4 Bomb’s rigging found in the debris.

The dents in the bomb’s nose, the lattice markings and the rigging that could be seen in the debris are evidence that the bomb was dropped from an aircraft. Because the Syrian military controls the airspace over Douma, it would be almost impossible for the attack to have been staged by opposition fighters who do not have aircraft.