‘Diabolical how we’ve been kept in dark’
FRUSTRATION was growing yesterday over the seemingly slow progress in the hunt for the would-be assassins of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Scotland Yard is coming under increased pressure to identify the culprits behind the deadly nerve agent attack.
But eight days after Mr Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia, 33, were found slumped in a “catatonic” state on a bench in Salisbury city centre on March 4, the probe appears to be shrouded in secrecy.
Police have issued no descriptions of suspects or asked the public for any information other than a general appeal to hand over mobile phone and video footage which may help their investigation. It was only last night that the public were told of a possible exposure to the weapons-grade Novichok nerve agent.
After taking over the investigation, counter terror chiefs have been unable to provide even basic details of the shocking crime and have not given an update since last Friday.
There is also still uncertainty over when and where Mr Skripal and Yulia were poisoned, which left them fighting for their lives in hospital.
Scotland Yard has also refused to comment on the area where hero Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, 38, was contaminated with the chemical. He was one of at least 21 people who had treatment after the attack and is still in a serious condition in hospital.
It was not until Friday troops were mobilised over the potential decontamination.
Public Health England warned on Sunday it was possible the nerve agent may have come into contact with clothing or belongings of hundreds of people.
Salisbury’s Tory MP John Glen said residents were feeling “bewildered, disconcerted and angry” over the affair.
Kathleen Townsend, 28, the deputy manager of a shoe shop, said: “The way the public has been kept in the dark is diabolical. What are the authorities going to say to the parents of a child who is contaminated with nerve gas because they were in Zizzi or The Mill last Sunday?”
Mark Fitzpatrick, 54, who runs a florist stall in The Maltings shopping centre near where the pair were found, said: “It’s horrendous what’s going on. We don’t know the full story.”
Among the sites sealed off are Mr Skripal’s home on the outskirts of Salisbury, Zizzi Italian restaurant where he had lunch with Yulia on March 4 and The Mill pub where they went for a drink afterwards.
The graves of his wife and son in the city are also being guarded. Yesterday chemical experts in protective suits removed a van belonging to a vehicle recovery firm in Winterslow, Wiltshire. It is thought it may have towed Mr Skripal’s car to a recovery yard after his collapse.