British counterterrorism police have been asked to provide support in the investigation of the death of a young British journalist who covered the war in Ukraine.
David Knowles ran a popular podcast on the war in Ukraine for British daily The Telegraph. He died abruptly in Gibraltar on September 8 after what his employer said was believed to be a cardiac arrest.
The Royal Gibraltar Police, also known as the RGP, said in a statement Thursday that a policing “mutual aid” request for specialist support has been submitted to British police. “There are no specific concerns at this time with regard to the death,” the RGP said in a statement.
“Detectives from U.K. counterterrorism policing have been appointed to provide support to the RGP investigation, due to their existing capability and their experience of dealing with international inquiries,” the statement said.
Police and the coroner of Gibraltar are investigating the death, according to media reports, and the results are expected to be released soon.
A spokesperson for Britain’s counterterrorism police told The Telegraph: “Due to the existing capability and experience of dealing with international inquiries, support to the RGP is being provided by officers from counterterrorism policing.”
A spokesperson for the Knowles family told local media the family had noted the RPG statement “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,” the statement read.
Knowles, 32, joined The Telegraph in 2020. His award-winning podcast “Ukraine: The Latest” launched at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry in 2023 added Knowles to a long list of sanctioned journalists who are banned from entering Russia.
British lawmakers paid tribute to Knowles in parliament Thursday, with Labour MP Andy Slaughter calling for a debate on the importance of investigative journalism.
Knowles was in Gibraltar for vacation when he died.
The Telegraph paid tribute to Knowles, who earlier this year won the Best News Podcast award.
Knowles was “known and cherished by a huge number of listeners,” The Telegraph said. “A naturally gifted broadcaster, he was a reassuringly authoritative presence who never pushed his own personality into the foreground, even though he felt deeply about the fate of the Ukrainian people.”
