Ex-spy attacked with nerve agent: Chemical body

LONDON: The international chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday confirmed Britain’s finding that that the substance used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia was a nerve agent.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had made a technical assistance visit to Salisbury, where the Skripals were found slumped on March 4 following the suspected attack blamed by London on Russia, which set off a wave of expulsions of diplomatic personnel between the West and Kremlin.

Russia has consistently denied its involvement.

Following the release of OPCW’s conclusion, British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said: “That was a military grade nerve agent – a Novichok. This is based on testing in four independent, highly reputable laboratories around the world. All returned the same conclusive results.

“There can be no doubt what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was responsible – only Russia has the means, motive and record.”

In New Delhi, the external affairs ministry said India is “against the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances”. It said India was awaiting the outcome of the investigation and hoped the issue would be resolved in accordance with the

› I am not yet strong enough to give a full interview to the media... Until that time, I want to stress that no one speaks for me, or for my father, but ourselves.

YULIA SKRIPAL, Daughter of former spy Sergei Skripal

Chemical Weapons Convention.

The OPCW conclusion did not identify the substance as Novichok, but reiterated Britain’s views: “The results of analysis by the OPCW designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people.

“The TAV (technical assistance visit) team notes that the toxic chemical was of high purity. The latter is concluded from the almost complete absence of impurities.”

Besides the Skripals, police officer Nick Bailey who was among the first attending them, was also affected. He and Yulia have since been discharged, while Sergei Skripal remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Johnson added in his statement: “We must, as a world community, stand up for the rules based order which keeps us all safe. The use of weapons of this kind can never be justified, and must be ended.”