Third Russian accomplice identified by police over Salisbury nerve agent attack

A third Russian accomplice alleged to have helped plan thesalisburyne rve agent attack is said to have been identified by police.

The man, from Russia’s military intelligence service the GRU, is understood to have visited Salisbury ahead of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

The suspect was reported to be likely to have fed back details, including the layout of the cul-de-sac where Mr Skripal lived and which door he used to enter and leave.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We will not be discussing any further details in what remains a live investigation.” UK authorities believe two Russians, using the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, smeared the highly toxic Novichok chemical on a door handle at the Wiltshire home of former GRU officer Mr Skripal on 4 March.

The attack left Mr Skripal and his daughter critically ill. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the same nerve agent.

Investigative group Bellingcat identified one of the suspects as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga – a decorated GRU officer.

Bellingcat said it had identified Chepiga, who travelled to the UK with a passport issued in the assumed name of Ruslan Boshirov, by trawling through online records from Russian military academies.