The Philippine Star

UK police: 21 people sought treatment after ex-spy poisoning

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LONDON (AP) — Around 21 people have received medical treatment after a nerve-agent attack on an ex-Russian spy, British police said Thursday, as the UK vowed strong action against whoever was responsibl­e for the “brazen and reckless” act.

Three people remain hospitaliz­ed after the poisoning Sunday in the southern English city of Salisbury — former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter and a British police officer who tried to help them.

Health authoritie­s say there is little risk to the wider public. But Wiltshire county acting police chief Kier Pritchard said “around 21 people” have had treatment, including the Skripals, who were found unconsciou­s on a bench.

Pritchard said “a number” of the 21 were having “blood-tests, support and advice.” Previously, authoritie­s had said only that “several” people had sought treatment.

The ex-spy and his daughter remain in critical condition in a Salisbury hospital. A police officer who came to their aid, Sgt. Nick Bailey, is hospitaliz­ed in a serious condition, though he is conscious and talking, officials said.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said enormous resources are being devoted to determinin­g who poisoned Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia. They were found unconsciou­s on a bench, triggering a police inquiry headed by counterter­rorism detectives.

“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.”

Rudd said Britain would respond strongly when it is clear who is to blame.

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 Skripal’s case. Responsibl­e political approach.”

 ?? AFP ?? The forensic tent, covering the bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found, is reposition­ed by officials in biohazard suits in Salisbury, southern England on Thursday.
AFP The forensic tent, covering the bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found, is reposition­ed by officials in biohazard suits in Salisbury, southern England on Thursday.

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