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Porton Down experts unable to verify 'precise source of novichok' Porton Down experts unable to verify precise source of novichok
(about 3 hours later)
British scientists at Porton Down have not been able to establish where the novichok nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made, it has emerged. British scientists at the Porton Down defence research laboratory have not established that the nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made in Russia, it has emerged.
Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, Wiltshire, said it had not proved it was created in Russia. Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), said the poison had been identified as a military-grade novichok nerve agent, which could probably be deployed only by a nation state.
Aitkenhead confirmed the substance required “extremely sophisticated methods to create something probably only in the capabilities of a state actor”. Aitkenhead said the government had reached its conclusion that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack by combining the laboratory’s scientific findings with information from other sources.
The comments are bound to be seized on by Russia, which insists it was not behind the attack and claims the British government’s accusations that it is behind it are a provocation. The UK government moved quickly to make it clear that the prime minister, Theresa May, had always been clear the assessment from Porton Down was “only one part of the intelligence picture”. The comments came hours before an extraordinary meeting in The Hague of the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), called by Russia.
Speaking to Sky News, Aitkenhead said: “We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent. A Russian embassy spokesman in the UK said: “We understood from the very start that UK government statements on the nerve agent having been produced in Russia were a bluff. Now this has been confirmed by the head of the secret lab. This only proves that all political declarations on the Russian origin of the crime are nothing but assumptions not stemming from objective facts or the course of the investigation.”
“We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific information to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions that they have come to.” Speaking to Sky News, Aitkenhead said it was not possible for scientists alone to say precisely where the novichok had been created.
He explained that establishing its origin required “other inputs”, some of them intelligence-based, that the government has access to. He said: “It’s a military-grade nerve agent, which requires extremely sophisticated methods in order to create – something that’s probably only within the capabilities of a state actor.”
Aitkenhead added: “It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is. We identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured.” He denied Russian claims that the substance could have come from Porton Down, which is eight miles from Salisbury, saying: “There’s no way that anything like that would ever have come from us or leave the four walls of our facilities.”
Aitkenhead would not comment on whether the laboratory had developed or kept stocks of novichok, but dismissed the suggestion from Russia that the agent used to poison the Skripals could have come from Porton Down. Aitkenhead said: “We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify it was a military-grade nerve agent. We have not verified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific information to the government, who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions that they have come to.”
“There is no way anything like that could have come from us or left the four walls of our facility,” said Aitkenhead. He said the location of manufacture could be established through “a number of different input sources which the government has access to”, adding: “Scientific evidence is only one of those sources.”
He said the government had come to its conclusions about the source of the nerve agent by piecing together Porton Down’s scientific findings and other information it had access to. Aitkenhead said Porton Down was continuing to work on the substance to try to provide additional information that might help.
Asked if it was possible to establish where the novichok was made, Aitkenhead added: “At this stage, with the work that we’ve done thus far, we’ve been able to establish that it’s novichok or from that family. We are continuing to work to help to provide additional information that might help us get closer to the question that you ask but we haven’t yet been able to do that.” He also said there was no known antidote to novichok but said Porton Down had advised Salisbury district hospital on how to treat the Skripals.
Aitkenhead told the broadcaster there is no known antidote to novichok. He said Porton Down had advised Salisbury district hospital on how to treat the Skripals: “We can and we have advised the hospital and the medics on the best course of trying to mitigate against the effects, but this is an extremely toxic substance and not something that you can easily give something to somebody to help them recover.” A government spokesman played down the signficance of Aitkenhead’s remarks. He said: “We have been clear from the very beginning that our world-leading experts at Porton Down identified the substance used in Salisbury as a novichok.
The interview came as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons prepares to meet in The Hague on Wednesday to discuss the attack in Salisbury at Moscow’s request. OPCW inspectors have been in Salisbury and Porton Down to make their own investigations. “This is only one part of the intelligence picture. As the prime minister has set out in a number of statements to the Commons since 12 March, this includes our knowledge that within the last decade Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination – and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of novichoks; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets.
Earlier, Downing Street described the incident in Salisbury as an example of increasingly aggressive behaviour from Moscow. “It is our assessment that Russia was responsible for this brazen and reckless act and, as the international community agrees, there is no other plausible explanation.”
A No 10 spokesman said: “As the prime minister has made clear, the UK would much rather have in Russia a constructive partner ready to play by the rules. But this attack in Salisbury was part of a pattern of increasingly aggressive Russian behaviour, as well as a new and dangerous phase in Russian activity within the continent and beyond. However, two weeks ago Boris Johnson was asked by an interviewer on Deutsche Walle, Germany’s public international broadcaster, how the UK had been able to find out the novichok originated from Russia so quickly.
“As the prime minister has said, we must face the facts, and the challenge of Russia is one that will endure for years to come.” He replied: “When I look at the evidence, the people from Porton Down, the laboratory, they were absolutely categorical. I asked the guy myself, I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘There’s no doubt.’ So we have very little alternative but to take the action that we have taken.”
Asked why Russia had not been granted consular access to Yulia Skripal, whose condition is improving, the spokesman said such access was “based on a number of considerations, including consent from the individual”, adding: “Any requests for consular access are passed to individuals if and when appropriate.” Looking ahead to Wednesday’s OPCW meeting, a Foreign Office spokesman said Russia had called it to try to undermine the work of the organisation. The spokesperson said: “This Russian initiative is yet again another diversionary tactic, intended to undermine the work of the OPCW in reaching a conclusion.”
The Russian ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, was the latest to join the criticism from Russia over the UK’s handing of the aftermath of the attack.The Russian ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, was the latest to join the criticism from Russia over the UK’s handing of the aftermath of the attack.
He said Russia wanted Britain to “provide every possible element of evidence” it had and added: “We certainly reject any notion or claim of Russian involvement in the Salisbury incident. We will not tolerate this kind of irresponsible and basically indecent behaviour on the part of the British government. They will have to answer for that.” He said Russia wanted Britain to “provide every possible element of evidence” it had, adding: “We certainly reject any notion or claim of Russian involvement in the Salisbury incident. We will not tolerate this kind of irresponsible and basically indecent behaviour on the part of the British government. They will have to answer for that.”
Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, also called the attack a “provocation arranged by Britain” to justify high military spending because “they need a major enemy”. Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, called the attack a “provocation arranged by Britain” to justify high military spending because “they need a major enemy”.
Sergei SkripalSergei Skripal
RussiaRussia
EuropeEurope
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