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| Salisbury novichok poisonings: police name two Russian suspects | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Two Russian nationals have been named and charged over the novichok poisoning of Sergei and Julia Skripal in March in Salisbury, Wiltshire. British police and prosecutors made the announcement on Wednesday. | |
| Police said they were travelling on authentic Russian passports under the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov and arrived in the UK on an Aeroflot flight days before the attack. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to charge them. | Police said they were travelling on authentic Russian passports under the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov and arrived in the UK on an Aeroflot flight days before the attack. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to charge them. |
| The CPS said it had charged the two men with conspiracy to murder the Skripals and detective sergeant Nick Bailey, who fell ill after going to the Skripal home after the Russian pair were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury. | |
| The two Russian suspects are also charged with the use and possession of novichok, contrary to the Chemical Weapons Act. They are also charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Julia Skripal and DS Bailey. | |
| They have not been charged with the later poisoning that killed Dawn Sturgess and left Charlie Rowley seriously ill, after they became unwell on 30 June at a home in Amesbury, Wiltshire. | |
| The investigation has recovered CCTV of the two suspects after they flew into Gatwick airport and they stayed in the City Stay hotel in east London. After arriving on Friday 2 March on an Aeroflot flight, they went to Salisbury on what police said they were satisfied was a reconnaissance trip on Saturday. | |
| They returned to London that day and went back to Salisbury on Sunday, when police say that CCTV showed them in the vicinity of the Skripal house. Police believe that after contaminating the front door of the house, they immediately went to Heathrow via train and London underground and flew back on Sunday night at 10.30pm.Health experts said no one they travelled with on the flights or trains is believed to be in danger and no one else is reported to have fallen ill. | |
| Sue Hemming, CPS director of legal services, said: "Prosecutors from CPS counter terrorism division have considered the evidence and have concluded there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is clearly in the public interest to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are Russian nationals." | Sue Hemming, CPS director of legal services, said: "Prosecutors from CPS counter terrorism division have considered the evidence and have concluded there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is clearly in the public interest to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are Russian nationals." |
| Novichok refers to a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s to elude international restrictions on chemical weapons. Like other nerve agents, they are organophosphate compounds, but the chemicals used to make them, and their final structures, are considered classified in the UK, the US and other countries. | Novichok refers to a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s to elude international restrictions on chemical weapons. Like other nerve agents, they are organophosphate compounds, but the chemicals used to make them, and their final structures, are considered classified in the UK, the US and other countries. |
| The most potent of the novichok substances are considered to be more lethal than VX, the most deadly of the familiar nerve agents, which include sarin, tabun and soman. | The most potent of the novichok substances are considered to be more lethal than VX, the most deadly of the familiar nerve agents, which include sarin, tabun and soman. |
| While the novichok agents work in a similar way, by massively over-stimulating muscles and glands, one chemical weapons expert said the agents did not degrade fast in the environment and had 'an additional toxicity that was not well understood. Treatment for novichok exposure would be the same as for other nerve agents, namely with atropine, diazepam and potentially drugs called oximes. | While the novichok agents work in a similar way, by massively over-stimulating muscles and glands, one chemical weapons expert said the agents did not degrade fast in the environment and had 'an additional toxicity that was not well understood. Treatment for novichok exposure would be the same as for other nerve agents, namely with atropine, diazepam and potentially drugs called oximes. |
| The chemical structures of novichok agents were made public in 2008 by Vil Mirzayanov, a former Russian scientist living in the US, but the structures have never been publicly confirmed. It is thought they can be made in different forms, including as a dust aerosol. | The chemical structures of novichok agents were made public in 2008 by Vil Mirzayanov, a former Russian scientist living in the US, but the structures have never been publicly confirmed. It is thought they can be made in different forms, including as a dust aerosol. |
| The novichoks are known as binary agents because they only become lethal after mixing two otherwise harmless components. According to Mirzayanov, they are 10 to 100 times more toxic than conventional nerve agents. | The novichoks are known as binary agents because they only become lethal after mixing two otherwise harmless components. According to Mirzayanov, they are 10 to 100 times more toxic than conventional nerve agents. |
| While laboratories that are used to police chemical weapons incidents have databases of nerve agents, few outside Russia are believed to have full details of the novichok compounds and the chemicals needed to make them. | While laboratories that are used to police chemical weapons incidents have databases of nerve agents, few outside Russia are believed to have full details of the novichok compounds and the chemicals needed to make them. |
| “Those offences include conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal; the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey; the use and possession of novichok contrary to the Chemical Weapons Act; and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey. | “Those offences include conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal; the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey; the use and possession of novichok contrary to the Chemical Weapons Act; and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey. |
| "A realistic prospect of conviction means the CPS is satisfied on an objective assessment that the evidence can be used in court and that an objective, impartial and reasonable jury hearing the case, properly directed and acting in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict these two individuals of the charges," Hemming said. | "A realistic prospect of conviction means the CPS is satisfied on an objective assessment that the evidence can be used in court and that an objective, impartial and reasonable jury hearing the case, properly directed and acting in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict these two individuals of the charges," Hemming said. |
| "It is of course for a jury to decide whether the evidence is enough for them to be sure of the suspects guilt. We will not be applying to Russia for the extradition of these men as the Russian constitution does not permit extradition of its own nationals. Russia has made this clear following requests for extradition in other cases. Should this position change then an extradition request would be made. | "It is of course for a jury to decide whether the evidence is enough for them to be sure of the suspects guilt. We will not be applying to Russia for the extradition of these men as the Russian constitution does not permit extradition of its own nationals. Russia has made this clear following requests for extradition in other cases. Should this position change then an extradition request would be made. |
| “We have, however, obtained a European arrest warrant, which means that if either man travels to a country where an EAW is valid, they will be arrested and face extradition on these charges for which there is no statute of limitations." | “We have, however, obtained a European arrest warrant, which means that if either man travels to a country where an EAW is valid, they will be arrested and face extradition on these charges for which there is no statute of limitations." |
| The use of the Russian military grade poison on British soil strained already tense relations between London and Moscow. The first use of novichok came in March and targeted the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in their Salisbury home. | |
| Skripal had been regarded by Vladimir Putin’s regime as a traitor for selling state secrets and then defecting to Britain. They were both left seriously ill but survived. | Skripal had been regarded by Vladimir Putin’s regime as a traitor for selling state secrets and then defecting to Britain. They were both left seriously ill but survived. |
| Then on 30 June a man and woman wholly unconnected to Russia and the world of espionage were struck down. | Then on 30 June a man and woman wholly unconnected to Russia and the world of espionage were struck down. |
| Dawn Sturgess, 44, died around nine days after she and Charlie Rowley, 45, were believed to have been exposed to novichok, with both falling ill at their home in Amesbury. Wiltshire. | Dawn Sturgess, 44, died around nine days after she and Charlie Rowley, 45, were believed to have been exposed to novichok, with both falling ill at their home in Amesbury. Wiltshire. |
| Rowley has told police he found a box which he thought contained perfume in the charity bin on Wednesday 27 June. Inside was a Nina Ricci perfume box, bottle and applicator. | |
| Rowley has told police he put the bottle and applicator together on the day he and Sturgess fell ill. Rowley says Sturgess put some of the substance inside the bottle on her wrists and then fell fatally ill. | |
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