Ex-double agent in U.K. poisoned with Russian nerve agent
- 6 years ago
LONDON — Russian ex-double spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were likely poisoned using a military-grade nerve agent, according to Reuters.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was "highly likely" they were poisoned using a military-grade nerve agent.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were discovered slumped over on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4. They are in critical, but stable condition in the hospital, according to BBC.
In front of parliament on Monday, May identified the chemical used in the attack as a group of nerve agents known as Novichok.
The name means "newcomer" in Russian and refers to a group of advanced chemical agents secretly developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, according to BBC.
One of the chemicals — A-230 — can kill a person within minutes and is reportedly five to eight times deadlier than VX nerve gas.
Some come in liquid form, while other exist in a solid state. Some are also binary weapons, meaning they are stored separately, but when mixed produce the lethal nerve agent.
Novichok agents were designed to evade detection by international insectors.
The Foreign Office has called on Russia's ambassador to provide an explanation by Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was "highly likely" they were poisoned using a military-grade nerve agent.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were discovered slumped over on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4. They are in critical, but stable condition in the hospital, according to BBC.
In front of parliament on Monday, May identified the chemical used in the attack as a group of nerve agents known as Novichok.
The name means "newcomer" in Russian and refers to a group of advanced chemical agents secretly developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, according to BBC.
One of the chemicals — A-230 — can kill a person within minutes and is reportedly five to eight times deadlier than VX nerve gas.
Some come in liquid form, while other exist in a solid state. Some are also binary weapons, meaning they are stored separately, but when mixed produce the lethal nerve agent.
Novichok agents were designed to evade detection by international insectors.
The Foreign Office has called on Russia's ambassador to provide an explanation by Tuesday.