Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Deadly toxin on streets of Britain
Nerve agent used in assassin plot Officer first on the scene in a coma Poisons cut muscle control and can kill in 30 minutes
THE nerve agent used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was more than likely sprayed in their faces in an aerosol attack, experts believe.
And the shocking suspected state-sponsored assassination bid on British soil also left a policeman who went to their aid fighting for life.
The revelations came as a fellow Russian exile claimed Mr Skripal, 66, was still working with Russian military intelligence and had not retired.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, whose counter-terror officers are now leading the investigation, said the deadly toxin had been identified by staff in the secret military laboratory at Porton Down. But he refused to say what it was.
He said Mr Skripal and 33-year-old Yulia had been “targeted specifically” in the assault, believed to be the first time a nerve agent has been used on a target in the UK. The pair and the sick officer were all said to be in comas.
Mr Rowley added: “In summary, this is being treated as a major incident involving attempted murder by administration of a nerve agent.
“As you know, these two people remain critically ill in hospital. Sadly, in addition, a police officer who was one of the first to attend the scene and respond to the incident is now also in a serious condition in hospital.”
Kier Pritchard, temporary Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, said of the sick officer: “Our thoughts are with him, his family and friends.
“I recognise colleagues will be deeply affected by this and we will provide support to those affected.”
Public Health England insisted there was no wider danger to the public from the nerve agent but urged anyone who was in the vicinity on Sunday afternoon to seek help if they start to feel unwell. Experts fear the toxin used in the attack could be VX. It is so lethal just 10mg, a droplet, could kill a human. Only a few labs in the world are capable of producing a
Human-made substances targeting a certain part of the nervous system. The five main agents are Tabun, Sarin, Soman, GF and VX – the most deadly. They are all colourless and odourless. Most are absorbed through the skin or inhaled but can be added to food or drink. They are illegal under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
They disrupt electric signals in the nervous system. Different agents work in different ways. Most attack the nerve agent, including one in Moscow at Yasenevo, run by Russia’s foreign spy service.
Labour MP Yvette Cooper called the nerve agent revelation “a very serious and disturbing development”. She said: “For anyone to attempt to murder people in such a vile way is appalling, but the wider questions about how it could happen on British soil are very grave.”
Mr Skripal had been jailed in Russia for handing state secrets to MI6. But he was pardoned in 2010 and settled in England after being part of a spy swap with the US. It had been cholinergic system, preventing muscles from relaxing. Victims can convulse and vomit uncontrollably, and die of asphyxiation as respiratory muscles cannot be controlled.
They can also cause heart failure.
Victims notice the effects within minutes and if the dose is large enough they kill in under 30 minutes.
Doctors will try an antidote including oxime, atropine and pralidoxime but it must be given soon after exposure. claimed he was retired from secret service work and lived a quiet life.
But Kremlin whistleblower Valery Morozov said he met Mr Skripal several times and told Channel 4 last night he was “a military intelligence officer working in the Russian diplomatic service, in cyber-security”. He claimed Vladimir Putin could not have been behind the attack as Mr Skripal was “a nobody” to the Russian president.
And Mr Putin has insisted the Kremlin was not behind the poisonings.
But former Army officer Bob Seely, a Tory MP, said it had all the hallmarks of a Russian plot.
He said: “In my mind, there is now no doubt this was a hit ordered by Putin, and by using something complex they’re effectively showing off. We’re now in public execution territory.”
Europol’s British boss Rob Wainwright said there are “not 101 likely offenders”.
But Mr Putin has accused the UK of whipping up anti-russian sentiment and warned he would not tolerate any sanctions against Russia. He said: “Those who serve us with poison will eventually swallow it and poison themselves.”
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had said England officials could boycott the World Cup in Russia over the spy murder bid.
Last night it emerged Prince William has no plans to attend the tournament, despite being FA president. And Theresa May revealed other royals and ministers may not go.
Donald Trump has stayed silent about the incident as a former Foreign Office adviser suggested the Kremlin was taking advantage of the UK’S lack of support in the US and Europe.
It is almost impossible to make nerve agents without training. They are made in hi-tech labs due to the risk. While the materials are easy to get, expertise is needed to mix them safely. Experts say the agent in the Skripal attack will have almost certainly been made overseas and smuggled in.
It depends on the type. Just 10mg (a droplet the size of the ballpoint pen tip) of VX will kill a human, while 100mg of sarin can kill. Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died after VX was smeared on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport last year. America imposed sanctions on North Korea yesterday after finding it used the chemical agent on him. The State Department said it “condemns the use of chemical weapons to conduct an assassination”.