POLICE PLEA AS 250 ANTI-TERROR Mystery of nerve attack spy’s missing four hours
FOUR hours of Sergei Skripal’s movements on the day he and his daughter were poisoned in an alleged Kremlin assassination bid remain unaccounted for.
Police believe the former Russian spy and Yulia visited the graves of his wife and son in Salisbury at around 9.15am.
The next sighting was on CCTV at 1.30pm driving into the city centre before visiting a pub and a Zizzi restaurant.
The Metropolitan Police made an appeal for help yesterday as detectives try to fill in the “missing” four hours and create a timeline that could prove crucial for a breakthrough in the case.
Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: “We need to be clearer around their exact movements on the morning of the incident. In any investigation, the information we receive from the public can be crucial to helping the police build a picture of events.
“This is an extremely challenging and complex investigation and we currently have around 250 exceptionally experienced and dedicated specialist officers from the counterterrorism network working around the clock on this case. They are being supported by hundreds more officers from across the police family, as well as the military and other emergency services.
“They are making good progress in what is a painstaking investigation that is likely to be ongoing for weeks, if not months.”
Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, remained critically ill in hospital last night after both were found unconscious on a bench earlier this month.
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was among the first to respond to the incident, remains in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital.
A photo of Skripal’s maroon BMW saloon being loaded into a shipping container by heavily protected officers was released yesterday as part of the call for information.
And chemical warfare experts wearing masks were also seen removing a red Vauxhall Astra from the cemetery he and Yulia visited in Salisbury, Wilts.
A police spokeswoman said of the Astra’s removal: “The military are removing vehicles as part of decontamination activities.”
It is understood that the unmarked vehicle had been used by officers working at the scene in recent days.
Detectives are probing whether Skripal’s car or its door handle was laced with military grade poison Novichok.
The toxin, created in Russia, was
Saturday March 3: Yulia arrives at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Russia.
Sunday March 4: Sergei’s car is seen in the area of London Road, Churchill Way North and Wilton Road, close to Salisbury Cemetery. found in Skripal and Yulia’s systems. She had arrived in the UK a day before falling ill, on a flight from Moscow to Heathrow, and police are also probing whether Yulia’s suitcase could have been contaminated with the poison.
Other theories inc include transmission
Sergei’s car is seen travelling down Devizes Road towards the town centre. He is presumed to be driving. Sergei and Yulia arrive in Sainsbury’s upper level car park at the Maltings. At some time after this, they go to the Bishops via food or an infected bouquet of flowers. Police have so far recovered 762 exhibits and are trawling through 4,000 hours of CCTV.
And it emerged that nearly 400 witnesses have given statements so far – with hundreds more due to be taken Mill Pub in the town centre. They dine at Zizzi Restaurant. They leave Zizzi Restaurant.
Emergency services receive a report from a member of the public and police arrive at the scene within minutes, where they find Sergei and Yulia extremely ill on a park bench near the restaurant. over the coming days. The developments came amid rising tensions between the UK and Russia – which continued to deny any role i n the apparent assassination attempt.
Skripal’s house in Salisbury remained cordoned off and under police guard yesterday, along with sites including the Zizzi restaurant, the Mill pub, the cemetery and the city centre bench the pair were discovered slumped on.
But playing down health fears, Mr Basu added: “Public Health England has advised that the risk to the public is low.
“I would like to reassure anyone who may be concerned by the continued presence of officers wearing specialist protective clothing that they are wearing this as a precaution. It is not an indication of an increased risk.”