UK terror police aid investigation into death of Ukraine podcaster

British counter-terrorism police are helping an investigation into the death of journalist David Knowles, creator of an award-winning podcast on the Ukraine war.

Knowles, 32, who launched and presented the Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast, was on holiday in Gibraltar over the weekend when he died after what his employers said was a suspected cardiac arrest.

The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) said in a statement Thursday that it had requested assistance from detectives in the U.K.’s Counter Terrorism Policing because of its “existing capability” and “experience of dealing with international enquiries.” The force stressed, however, that “there are no specific concerns at this time with regard to the death.” They said a coroner’s investigation is underway.

A spokesperson for the U.K.’s Counter-Terrorism Police told the Telegraph on Thursday: “Due to the existing capability and experience of dealing with international inquiries, support to the RGP is being provided by officers from counter-terrorism policing.”

“Primacy for the investigation remains with RGP and any further inquiries in relation to this should be directed to them,” they added.

In August last year, Russia added Knowles and two other Telegraph journalists to its list of individuals prohibited from entering the country because of their work in covering the war.

His podcast, which shed light on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gained a large international audience, and was this year named best news podcast at the Publisher Podcast Awards.

A spokesman for the Knowles family told the Telegraph: “We note the statement from the RPG today about David, particularly the assertion that ‘there are no specific concerns at this time with regard to the death’.

“We do not wish to say anything further while the authorities continue their investigations and ask that the family’s privacy be respected.”

Knowles had been working at the British broadsheet paper since 2020, where he started as deputy head of social media and later took on the role of head of audio development.

Ukraine’s embassy in the U.K. said Monday that his “dedication to reporting the truth about the war in Ukraine and his commitment to telling the stories of those affected by it will never be forgotten.”