Britain says poison used to hospitalize Skripals was in liquid form - Action News
Home WebMail Thursday, November 14, 2024, 02:26 AM | Calgary | 6.0°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
World

Britain says poison used to hospitalize Skripals was in liquid form

British officials say the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter was delivered in liquid form, and it will take months to remove all traces of the toxin.

British officials say the former spy, daughter were poisoned with military-grade nerve agent made in Russia

International chemicals weapons inspectors have said former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with Novichok, a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. (Misha Japaridze/AP; Yulia Skripal/Facebook via AP)

British officials say the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter was delivered in liquid form, and it will take months to remove all traces of the toxin.

In a briefing to media on Tuesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)said a very small amount of military-grade nerve agent Novichok was used with the substance delivered in a liquid form.

DEFRA said nine sites need "specialist cleaning," including a restaurant visited by the Skripals on March 4, the day they were found unconscious on a park bench.

The department said Tuesday that 190 specially trained troops are assisting environmental, health and defence officials with the cleanup in the English city of Salisbury.

British officials say the Skripals were poisoned with a nerve agent made in Russia, which was put on a door handle at Sergei Skripal's house.

Sergei Skripal remains in hospital, but is no longer in critical condition. Yulia Skripal has been released from Salisbury District Hospital. A British police officer was also treated and released.

Army officers remove the bench where Skripal and his daughter were found in Salisbury on March 23. The poisoning has sparked a diplomatic row, and Russia has angrily denied responsibility. (Will Oliver/EPA-EFE)

The incident has sparked a diplomatic row, with over 20 nations expelling Russian diplomats and officials.

Russia hasdenied it was behind the attack, and responded by banishing Western diplomats. Most recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested the toxin came from a British or American laboratory.

With files from CBC News and Reuters