Britain vows response if Russia is behind former spy’s collapse

SALISBURY, England — Britain’s counterterrorism police took over an investigation Tuesday into the mysterious collapse of a former spy and his daughter, now fighting for their lives. The government pledged a “robust” response if suspicions of Russian state involvement are proven.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he wasn’t yet accusing anyone of harming Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The two Russians collapsed Sunday on a bench in southern England after coming into contact with an unknown substance.

But he stressed that Britain would act — and possibly limit its participation in the upcoming soccer World Cup in Russia— if Moscow played a role.

“I say to governments around the world that no attempt to take innocent life on U.K. soil will go either unsanctioned or unpunished,” Johnson said in the House of Commons.

Both Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Salisbury District Hospital, Wiltshire Police said.

The incident evoked echoes of the death of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in London in 2006.

A British inquiry found that Litvinenko’s killing was committed by Russian agents, probably approved by President Vladimir Putin. Russia denied any involvement in Litvinenko’s death, and denied suggestions of involvement in Skripal’s collapse, dismissing Johnson’s remarks as “wild.”

Police said it was too soon to jump to conclusions.