BFF-47 Probe to ‘leave no stone unturned’ after new UK poisoning

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Probe to ‘leave no stone unturned’ after new UK poisoning

BERLIN, July 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – British police will “leave no stone
unturned” when seeking answers after two more people were exposed to the
Novichok nerve agent on UK soil this week, Prime Minister Theresa May said
Thursday.

“To see two more people exposed to the Novichok in the UK is obviously
deeply disturbing, and the police I know will be leaving no stone unturned in
their investigation,” May said on a visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel
in Berlin.

Two people were taken ill on Saturday in the small town of Amesbury, close
to the city of Salisbury, where former double agent Sergei Skripal and his
daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench on March 4, sparking a
diplomatic crisis with Russia.

Germany was one of a number of British allies to expel Russian diplomats
after London blamed Moscow for the Skripal poisoning, prompting May to again
thank Merkel Thursday for her country’s “unwavering support”.

But UK ministers do not so far believe the latest incident was a
deliberate attack.

Novichok is a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union
during the Cold War.

After coming into contact with the poison, Skripal, 67, and his 33-year-old
daughter Yulia were treated for weeks before being released from hospital.

The police said they suspected the nerve agent may have been smeared on a
front door handle in liquid form.

BSS/AFP/RY/1845 hrs