Second Novichok poisoning near Salisbury
On June 30, two people were found unconscious at a residential building in Amesbury, England. The victims, 44 year-old Dawn Sturgess and 45 year-old Charlie Rowly, were rushed to a hospital in Salisbury in a critical condition.
Police later reported that the couple had been poisoned with Novichok, the same military-grade nerve agent used in the assassination attempt on former MI6 double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March. England holds Russia responsible for poisoning, although the Kremlin denies any involvement.
British Security Minister Ben Wallace told Sky News on Thursday that the incident was unlikely to be another assassination attempt.
“The working assumption of the investigation is that these people were not related to the Skripals,” Wallace commented.
Nevertheless, the British authorities believe that the couple was poisoned by leftover Novichok which remained in the vicinity of Salisbury despite the concerted cleanup efforts.
Wallace said that the Russian government could “put this wrong right” by providing details about the Skripal poisoning.