A Scottish tourist who died mysteriously in Israel may have
been a member of the secret organization known as the
Knights Templar. Israeli journalist Barry Chamish says that he
has evidence that the heart was removed after his death,
as part of an ancient ritual. Israeli officials claim that the
removal took place during a routine autopsy, but could
offer no explanation of why it was not returned to the family
with the other remains. A heart that was later given to
them by Israeli health officials could not be verified as being
the heart of Alisdair Rosslyn Sinclair.
Sinclair made an unexplained five-day visit to Israel in April,
1998. He was arrested as he tried to leave the country
and died in police custody.
At the time of his death, he was a musician living in
Amsterdam. Now, startling new evidence has been uncovered
which
reveals that the Scottish guitar maker was a direct
descendant of a high-ranking family which helped found the
Order of the Knights Templar, which is part of an international
battle for the control of the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Chamish's investigaton into Sinclair's death has led him to
conclude that the musician was the victim of his inherited
connection with the Templars. "In my opinion," Chamish
says, "he was murdered and his killing was linked to a greater
conspiracy."
Last week the Israeli Government launched a massive
investigation into Abu Kabir morgue, after allegations that
body parts from corpses were illegally removed and sold on
the black market for organ transplants. "But it was pointless
removing Alisdair's heart for medical reasons," claims
Chamish. "For a start, a heart has to be kept alive via a life
support system if it is to be transplanted. Even more damning
is the fact that in Israel we do not carry out heart
transplants."
It is believed that Alisdair Sinclair was murdered and his heart
removed because of his bloodline, since he was one of
the leading members of the Knights Templar hierarchy.
"The Knights Templar believe they are the rightful heirs to the
Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and are currently
involved in a secret battle to gain control of them," says
Chamish. "Alisdair may have been killed because he got caught
up in this clandestine war. The removal of his heart is part of
the Knights Templar tradition. When Robert the Bruce
died he asked that his heart be cut out and taken from
Scotland to be buried in Jerusalem. In Israel, legend has it
that his dying wishes were fulfilled."
Both Alisdair's brother and the Order of the Knights Templar
have backed up some of Chamish's conclusions. James
Sinclair, Alisdair's younger brother, said, "Alisdair knew all
about our Knights Templar background. He was proud of the
fact he was named after Rosslyn Chapel, which was built by
the Knights Templar in Scotland. He and I were told about our
heritage and bloodline by our father when we were young
boys. And we often visited Rosslyn Chapel."
Barry Chamish is convinced Alisdair became caught up in a
religious feud in Jerusalem.
Currently, no fewer than six organizations or nations believe
they have first claim to the holy sites in the old part of
the Israeli capital. As well as Israel and the Palestinians,
others who believe they are entitled to the land include
the Vatican, the Greek Orthodox Church and the Russian
Orthodox Church.
A spokesman for the modern Knights Templar, John Ritchie,
lives two miles from the village of Temple, the site of the
original Templar headquarters in Scotland. Ritchie, a journalist
who works for Reuters, said, "The modern order has 100
members...We are currently involved in an attempt to remove
control of the holy sites of Jerusalem from the Israeli
Government. We believe they should be administered by the
United Nations and are working with the UN and NATO to
achieve
that goal."
Chamish revealed that Alisdair Rosslyn Sinclair is a
descendant of one of the original Knights Templar, an order
set up by a French relative of the St. Clair family of
Rosslyn.The order, which flourished in the 13th century,
spread across Europe and became wealthier than many
nations.
In 1307 the King of France arrested thousands of Templars in
an attempt to destroy the Order and claim its assets. A
small number escaped to Scotland where they were
protected by the St. Clair (later Sinclair) family and continued
to flourish. They eventually played a major role in Robert the
Bruce's military triumphs.
"I believe Alisdair was murdered," says Chamish. "He came to
Israel because of his Knights Templar background and became
caught up in the current conflict over Jerusalem.
"The official explanations about his death cannot be believed.
He was stopped trying to leave the country allegedly
because he had 9000 Deutschmarks (about $5,000) in a
secret compartment of a suitcase. There is nothing illegal
about that. If I were carrying that sum of money I might
want to hide it as well.
"Then he allegedly confessed that the money was paid to him
for smuggling Ecstasy into Israel. But there is no evidence
that he had drugs. Why confess to a crime when there is no
evidence?
"Finally, it is alleged he hanged himself with his shoe laces. It
sounds highly unlikely, if not impossible, for a man
of his size to do that. I believe Alisdair was trying to escape
from Israel when he was killed. The Knights Templar are
not welcomed by the authorities and other organizations here.
"I'm still investigating why his heart was taken out. It was a
custom in medieval times to cut out the hearts of knights
who died abroad. The hearts were then taken back to the
knights' homeland for burial. Perhaps Alisdair's heart was cut
out as part of that ritual. But whatever the truth, there is
something very evil going on in Israel today and he became
caught up in it."
Chamish will appear on Dreamland February 4, 2001.
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