Lethal chemical disguised as top perfume brand
THE discovery of a lethal chemical weapon disguised as a perfume bottle sealed the case against Russia.
Experts were stunned to discover the ‘very sophisticated’ way its manufacturers had created the James Bond-style device, which looked like a scent from Paris fashion house Nina Ricci.
They believe a laboratory made the bottle and applicator nozzle so it was impossible for novichok to leak out in transit.
These were then disguised as a 5.5ml sample bottle of the Nina Ricci Premier Jour perfume. The counterfeit bottle was packaged in a glossy custom- designed cardboard box, based almost entirely on authentic branded goods.
Investigators suggested the nozzle could only be fitted at the point of the attack on the Skripals’ home.
It would have then delivered a tiny amount of the deadly chemical, which had the consistency of a gel, via a long tube to keep it away from the hands of the user.
Scotland Yard do not know what happened to the bottle between the attack on March 4 and its discovery on June 27.
Charlie Rowley, 48, found the package in a charity bin behind a branch of Barnardo’s in the city centre.
Three days later, as he tried to reassemble it, his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess, 44, made the fatal decision to smear its contents on her wrist.
One source close to the inquiry said: ‘The bottle was very sophisticated and had been adapted for this exact task. It was specifically manufactured to ensure it did not leak.
‘Experts discovered a great deal of time, effort and expense went into making this object and executing this specific task.
‘When they analysed the contents they found it was 100 per cent strength novichok, not the weakened samples they had recovered previously.’
Yesterday, police confirmed that despite extensive searches items contaminated with novichok may remain in Salisbury.
They also cannot be certain that the bottle and applicator is the only one used in the attack on the Skripal home.
Counter terrorism Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the manner in which the bottle and packaging was counterfeited made it a ‘perfect cover’.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an expert in chemical weapons, said: ‘All the evidence points towards a state actor. This could only happen in the most sophisticated laboratories.
‘The fact that the bottle was so carefully and expertly made clearly points directly towards the Russians.’