Germany gave poison sample
Germany’s foreign intelligence service secured a sample of the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok in the 1990s and passed on its knowledge to partners including Britain and the US, according to German media reports.
Britain says an attack earlier this year on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was carried out using Novichok, and blames Russia.
German newspapers and broadcasters said in a joint report yesterday the West’s knowledge of the substance stems largely from a sample obtained by Germany’s BND agency in the 1990s.
The BND refused to comment.