BREAKING! Two More People Poisoned by Novichok Nerve Gas Near UK Chemical Lab Porton Down
The Skripals were followed by a British couple. Scotland Yard officials say that the new poisoning case involves the same culprit, particularly, the same nerve agent that appeared some months ago in Salisbury.
Our correspondent Alexander Khabarov is reporting live from Britain.
— Alexander, greetings, what do we know so far?
— Good evening, Pavel.
Late in the evening, the mysterious Amesbury poisoning gained traction. UK Counter-terrorism Policing Chief Neil Basu said Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her friend Charles Rowley, 45, were attacked with the same nerve agent as Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Let's listen to a segment of his statement.
"This evening we have received test results from Porton Down that show the two people have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok. Following the detailed analysis of these samples, we can confirm that it was the same nerve agent that contaminated both Yulia and Sergei Skripal. The latest update we have from the hospital is that both patients remain in critical condition. At this stage, no-one else has presented the same symptoms linked to this incident".
Basu says the analysis was conducted in the same Ministry of Defense's secret lab, Porton Down where the nerve agent that contaminated the Skripals was also analyzed. The cases look very much alike. Again, it was initially thought to have been a case of drug overdose. Finally, a nerve agent poisoning was detected. It's unclear how the couple is connected to the Skripals. Scotland Yard hasn't commented on this. But the British press is already speculating on this, claiming that both patients could have lived in a refuge near the restaurant in downtown Salisbury where Sergei and Yulia Skripal had lunch in early March on the day when they were found senseless. Counter-terrorism Policing Chief Neil Basu claims that both of the victims, I mean the couple, didn't visit the same places as the Skripals, I mean, they didn't visit those places recently; besides, those have been sanitized.
However, the police have already cordoned off some facilities both in Amesbury and Salisbury. A friend of the couple said that it was the woman who had been the first to feel unwell on Saturday. Then she was followed by the man. Let's listen to a segment of his interview.
Sam Hobson, friend of the victims: "He was packing stuff for Dawn, who went to the hospital. He started feeling really hot and sweaty, so he went and had a shower. Then he was in his bedroom for a while and then he came out and felt a bit weird. He said he felt he was poisoned. Then he was rocking against the wall but his eyes were all red and pricked. He started sweating loads and dribbling, he didn't react to my questions".
It's hard to predict how the situation is going to develop. I remind you that the Skripal case spurred a big scandal in Russian-British relations. Great Britain accused Russia of the poisoning. Moscow categorically denies this. London has actually failed to present any proof of its allegations over the past four months. They promise to enhance police presence in the area where the contaminated locals were found. On the one hand, they're calming down the locals, on the other hand, they're warning them to not touch suspicious objects, including needles and syringes, as the Department of Health puts it. And, of course, police urge all potential witnesses to give testimony.
So much for it, Pavel.
— Thank you, Alexander. Alexander Khabarov, our correspondent in Britain, has told us about another poisoning case starring the same nerve agent.