21 Treated For Exposure To Nerve Agent In Attack On Former Russian Spy In UK
British police have confirmed for the first time that 21 people have been treated for exposure to a nerve agent in an attack targeting former Russian spy Sergei Skripal
British police have confirmed for the first time that 21 people were exposed to and have been treated for exposure to a nerve agent in an episode that targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The police added that one of the first police officers to respond to the scene is still in the hospital but has shown some signs of recovery.
The condition of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were attacked in the southern English city of Salisbury continues to be ‘extremely serious’ according to British police. After the incident, health officials insist there has only been a low risk to the public.
"Multiple people have been treated, around 21 people, including the man and the woman found on the bench," Wiltshire acting police chief Kier Pritchard told Sky News, referring to Skripal and his daughter, who were found unconscious. Pritchard said that of the new total, "a number" of them got hospital treatment including blood tests, support and advice. Previously, authorities had said only that "several" people had sought treatment.
The British government is increasingly furious over what seems to be a targeted attack on Skripal who came to UK in a spy-swap with Russia in 2010. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said whoever is behind the attack is guilty of a "brazen and reckless act." She said Britain would respond strongly when it is clear who's to blame. "The use of a nerve agent on British soil is a brazen and reckless act," Rudd told Parliament. "This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way."
She said that enormous resources were being used to determine who poisoned Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia. The attack is being investigated by Britain’s counterterrorism detectives.
Police have refused to publicly speculate on who is behind the attack, but many experts have focused on Russia because of the similarity to the 2006 killing of another former Russian spy who was poisoned in London with radioactive polonium-210. A public inquiry found that Russia was responsible for killing Alexander Litvinenko, and that President Vladimir Putin probably approved it.
The Russian government has denied any involvement in the Litvinenko killing or the attempted killing of Skripal. The Russian Embassy in London, which has mocked other British politicians for suggesting Russian involvement, tweeted that it agreed with Rudd: "First evidence then conclusions on Mr. Skripal's case. Responsible political approach."
But, in a deviation from the norm a Russian state news channel that generally refrains from commenting on such incidents had the anchor ‘warn traitors of the country’. The comments were made by Kirill Kleimenov - the presenter on government-controlled Channel One's flagship Vremya news programme. The statements sounded like a veiled, mocking threat to anyone considering becoming a double agent for Britain which Skripal was. "The profession of a traitor is one of the most dangerous in the world," Kleimenov said, adding that few who had chosen it had lived to a ripe old age.
He also had a second piece of advice for such "traitors or those who simply hate their country in their free time": "Don't choose Britain as a place to live." "Something is wrong there. Maybe it's the climate, but in recent years there have been too many strange incidents with grave outcomes there," he added.
Other news channels however took the old line of the West promoting anti-Russia news and hysteria. BBC reported that, NTV - ultimately controlled by state gas company Gazprom - a presenter said the Western media were accusing Russia of poisoning Skripal despite the lack of any evidence or any "expert conclusions".
British Police haven't provided details on the nerve agent that was used but the media did provide background of Russia’s history with nerve agents. Russia came across such chemical agents for the first time when they swept into East Germany following World War Two and took control of the plants where they were made. Most recently, Kim Jong-un’s half brother was confirmed to be murdered in Malaysia in 2017 with a VX, type of a nerve agent.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2018 10:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).