Post by Mr. B1ackPost by Byker"Police were probing his exposure to an unknown substance, which left him
unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury and saw media draw parallels
to the case of Alexander Litvinenko, an ex-spy who died of radioactive
polonium poisoning in 2006. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned
on Tuesday (Mar. 6) that London would respond "robustly" if it emerged that
a government was behind the suspected poisoning."
https://tinyurl.com/yb27kta8
https://www.washingtonpost.com/?utm_term=.0b8e413c93c0
The "unknown substance" was probably cheap gin.
They'll be lucky to survive the hangover...
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Russian ex-spy victim of attempted murder with nerve agent: UK police
Scientific tests by government experts have identified the specific nerve
agent used, "which will help identify the source" police said.
08 Mar 2018
LONDON: The former Russian double-agent who collapsed in a British town
alongside his daughter was the victim of attempted murder with a nerve
agent, police said on Wednesday (Mar 7).
"This is being treated as a major incident involving attempted murder by
administration of a nerve agent", Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner
Mark Rowley told reporters.
Scientific tests by government experts have identified the specific nerve
agent used, "which will help identify the source" police said, but Rowley
declined to detail it.
"I will not be providing further information at this stage about the exact
substance that has been identified," he added.
Sergei Skripal, who moved to Britain in a 2010 spy swap, is in a critical
condition in hospital along with his daughter Yulia after they collapsed on
a bench outside a shopping centre in the southwestern English city of
Salisbury on Sunday.
A general view shows the main entrance to Salisbury District Hospital in
Salisbury, southern England, where a man and a woman remain in critical
condition which sparked an ongoing major incident which started on Mar 4.
(Chris J Ratcliffe/AFP)
"Sadly, in addition, a police officer, who was one of the first to attend
the scene is now also in a serious condition in hospital," said Rowley.
Hundreds of counter-terrorism detectives deployed to the investigation are
working "around the clock" to create a timeline of the victims' movements,
with "many hours" of CCTV under review, police said.
Interior minister Amber Rudd earlier called for "cool heads" over the
poisoning, which is already being linked with Russia by British politicians
and media.
Police say they are keeping an open mind about what happened, but Foreign
Secretary Boris Johnson on Tuesday alluded to Russia.
He noted the "echoes" with the 2006 poisoning in London of former Russian
spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which Britain has blamed on
Russia.
Moscow accused politicians and journalists of whipping up anti-Russian
sentiment, with Kremlin foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova telling
reporters the story "was straight away used to boost an anti-Russian
campaign in the media".
Zakharova earlier said Johnson's comments were "wild".
Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter had lunch at a restaurant in Salisbury
before walking to the shopping centre, where witnesses said they appeared
"out of it".
The BBC cited one source as saying that Skripal was "not in a good way at
all" by Tuesday night.
Rowley appealed for information from those in Salisbury on Sunday,
particularly those who had visited either the Zizzi pizza restaurant or the
nearby Bishop's Mill pub.
Some other emergency services personnel who treated the pair required
medical treatment, and The Sun newspaper reported that two police officers
had itchy eyes, wheezing and rashes.
Prime Minister Theresa May was updated on the case at a meeting of her
national security council on Tuesday, but has declined to publicly comment
on the ongoing investigation.
However, she confirmed the government might consider a boycott by British
officials and dignitaries of the 2018 football World Cup in Russia if it
were found to have been involved.
"Depending on what comes out in relation to the investigation ... it might
be appropriate for the government to look at whether ministers and other
dignitaries should attend the World Cup in Russia," she said on Wednesday.
The possible boycott - which would not include players - was first raised by
Johnson on Tuesday, when he told MPs that he was not pointing fingers for
Skripal's collapse but made several references to Russia.
He warned Britain would respond "appropriately and robustly" if a government
was found responsible.
Skripal was a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who was jailed
in his country for betraying agents to Britain's MI6 secret service.
He was pardoned before being flown to Britain as part of a high-profile spy
swap involving Russia and the United States in 2010, and has kept a low
profile since.
The Times newspaper reported that police would look into the 2012 death of
Skripal's wife from cancer, and that of his 44-year-old son last year in St
Petersburg, reportedly from liver problems.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/russian-ex-spy-victim-of-attempted-murder-with-nerve-agent-uk-10024052