Sunday Sport

PUTIN SPIES KILLED THORA HIRD!

Russia expert believes stars were murdered ‘for knowing too much’

- By SIMON DEAN

DEAD- EYED dictator Vladimir Putin’s team of assassins bumped off Terry Wogan and Thora Hird – as the showbiz stars knew “too much” about Russia’s plans for world domination.

That’s the extraordin­ary claim made by amateur Russia expert Frank Watson, who believes the recent poison attack on ex- spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was “the tip of the iceberg”.

And the 65- year- old ex- dentist said Wogan and Thora were two more casualties in Putin’s secret war in the West.

He told Sunday Sport: “Looking through secret files, I’ve found that TV and radio presenter Terry Wogan was sent on a charm offensive to Moscow in 1997, during which he managed to get details of Russian army deployment­s using nothing more than his gentle Blarney wit.

“Summer Wine star Thora visited St Petersburg on a goodwill Songs of Praise tour in 1994 where her grandmothe­rly persona disguised a mastery of spycraft. She managed to get the names of three Russian agents working inside British intelligen­ce.

“Terry and Thora both damaged Russia’s ability to wage war on the liberal democracie­s of the West. And now they are dead.

“Co- incidence? I think not.”

Sergei, 66, and Yulia – in her thirties – are critically ill in hospital after the pair were found unconsciou­s in Salisbury, Wilts, last week.

British police are trying to find out what “unknown substance” harmed them.

Emergency services workers were assessed immediatel­y after the incident, and one is still in hospital.

Russia insists it has “no informatio­n” on what could have led to the incident, but says it is open to co- operate in the police investigat­ion.

The retired Russian military intelligen­ce officer was jailed for 13 years by Russia in 2006.

He was given refuge in the UK following a “spy swap” in 2010.

Terry Wogan was 77 when he died and Thora was just 91

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? LEADER: Putin
LEADER: Putin
 ??  ?? ‘ BUMPED OFF’: Terry Wogan and Thora Hird
‘ BUMPED OFF’: Terry Wogan and Thora Hird
 ??  ?? FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE: Sergei Skripal
FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE: Sergei Skripal
 ??  ??

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