Nerve agent used in attempt to murder ex-Russian spy, British police say

An investigation carried out by British police in respect of the mysterious illness affecting a former Russian spy who is now in critical condition has revealed that a nerve-agent was used in an attempt to take his life.

Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, who said that the incident was being treated as “attempted murder” also noted that the exact nature of the substance will not be communicated to public at this stage.

“This is being treated as a major incident involving attempted murder, by administration of a nerve agent,” he said.

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“Having established that a nerve agent is the cause of the symptoms … I can also confirm that we believe that the two people who became unwell were targeted specifically.”

The former Russian agent Sergei Skripal, 66, convicted of spying for Britain and a 33-year-old woman identified as his daughter Yulia Skripal were both found unconscious on a bench at a shopping centre in Salisbury in southern England before being taken to hospital.

Skripal was granted refuge in the UK in 2010 as part of a “spy swap”.

 

 

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