Blood and hair samples collected from the chemical attack site in Syria have "tested positive for signatures of sarin gas", US Secretary of State John Kerry today said as he pushed for a military strike against the Assad regime over its alleged use of the deadly weapon.
Doing rounds of Sunday talk shows on multiple news channels, Kerry said these samples were collected independently thorough an "appropriate chain of custody".
His remarks came a day after US President Barack Obama announced his decision of a military strike against Syria for use of chemical weapons against its own people in violation of the well-established international norms.
The US alleges that more than 1,400 people including over 400 children died in the chemical attack near Damascus by the embattled regime on August 21.
"We know that the regime ordered this attack, we know they prepared for it," Kerry told the 'State of the Union' on CNN.
"We know where the rockets came from. We know where they landed. We know the damage that was done afterwards. We've seen the horrific scenes all over the social media, and we have evidence of it in other ways, and we know that the regime tried to cover up afterwards, so the case is really an overwhelming case," he said in response to a question.
"In the last 24 hours, we have learned through samples that were provided to the United States that have now been tested from first responders in east Damascus and hair samples and blood samples have tested positive for signatures of Sarin," Kerry told NBC's 'Meet The Press'.
"So this case is building and this case will build," the top American diplomat said.
Sarin is a man-made chemical warfare agent considered the most toxic. It attacks the nervous system.
During the interviews, Kerry defended the decision of Obama to seek a Congressional authorisation on a military strike against the Assad regime.
