Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are seeking to exhume the bodies of victims from the suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, on the theory that traces of nerve agents like sarin gas will linger in human tissue for much longer than environmental samples from the attack site.

“From the bodies already buried we are looking for ways to exhume if possible and take some biomedical samples. It is a very sensitive process. That’s why we are very cautious,” OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu told the Financial Times in an interview published Wednesday.

“Although our experts have been able to attend some autopsies in the past this is going to be the first time we have exhumed bodies,” he added.

Uzumcu added he has not been able to “verify allegations that inspectors had been blocked or whether evidence had been removed or tampered with by Syrian forces.”

U.S. and European officials voiced concerns that inspectors were kept away from the site so Syrian and Russian agents could sanitize them. The task facing the OPCW is seen as particularly difficult because the attack may have involved both chlorine and sarin gas, the former masking the presence of the latter.

Uzumcu mentioned in his Financial Times interview that the OPCW does not presently have a mandate to assign blame for chemical weapons attacks. He viewed this as a “serious gap” and urged the international community to grant such a mandate.

In an April 26 joint statement, OPCW member states said the fact-finding mission to Syria was “conducting their work in extremely difficult circumstances.”

“Instead of working with the OPCW to support their investigation, Syria and Russia have continued to create obstacles to delay their deployment to Duma and to wage a propaganda campaign against the OPCW,” the statement charged.

The statement noted that medical non-government organizations have “found traces of chemical agents on the victims” and collected authentic photos and videos of the attack site. Over 500 patients presented symptoms of chemical exposure on the day of the attack, April 7.

Russia’s military intervention in Syria remains ongoing. On Thursday morning, a top-shelf Russian Sukhoi-30SM fighter jet crashed shortly after takeoff from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria, killing both crewmembers.

Russian officials said the crash might have been caused by “birds getting into the engine,” and insisted the plane “was not struck by any projectile.”</s>Quantity of nerve agent dose thought to have been used suggests it was created as a weapon

The former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a dose of liquid nerve agent as large as 50-100 grams, the director general of the international chemical weapons watchdog has told the New York Times. [Soon after publication of the interview with its head, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons withdrew this claim saying it could make no such estimate. See footnote below.]

Ahmet Üzümcü, of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said the amount of novichok – a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union – used was significantly more than needed for research purposes, which indicates it was likely created for use as a weapon.

In an interview with the New York Times, Üzümcü said he had been told that about 50-100g of the nerve agent was thought to have been used in the attack in Salisbury – 100g is equivalent to 100ml, the maximum amount of liquid allowed in carry-on luggage on a flight.

'Deny, distract and blame': how Russia fights propaganda war Read more

He said: “For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection.”

Samples of the agent were collected from the door handle of the Skripal home, the park bench where the two collapsed and “a few other places where the Skripals were present,” he added.



“One thing, perhaps, which is important to note is that the nerve agent seems to be very persistent,” Üzümcü said. “It’s not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse. We understand it was also of high purity.”

Last month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the nerve agent used in the attack was delivered in liquid form. Police had previously said they believed the pair had been poisoned at the front door of Skripal’s home as specialists found the highest concentration of the nerve agent on the door.

Almost 200 military personnel in protective suits and boots will spend months decontaminating nine sites in the town.

• This article was amended on 4 May 2018 to make prominent note of the fact that the OPCW had withdrawn Ahmet Üzümcü’s assertion about the quantity of novichok used in the Skripal poisoning. On 4 May 2018 at 17:20 the Guardian reported the OPCW’s disavowal.</s>Up to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent were used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said.

Ahmet Uzumcu told the New York Times the amount of Novichok used – around half a cup of liquid – suggests it was created for use as a weapon rather than for research purposes.

Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4.

The inquiry into the nerve agent attack in the Wiltshire city has involved 250 detectives who have gone through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and interviewed more than 500 witnesses.

Mr Uzumcu told the paper the Novichok could have been applied as a liquid or aerosol.

He said: “For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection.

“It’s not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse.”

He added the samples collected suggested the nerve agent was of “high purity”.

Moscow has denied accusations it was responsible for the poisoning of the Skripals but the incident plunged diplomatic relations between Russia and the West into the deep freeze.

The Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko previously suggested that Sergei and Yulia Skripal may have been injected by British authorities with nerve agent produced at Porton Down.

However the UK has previously stated its conviction that only Russia had the means and motive to target the former spy.

Karen Pierce, the UK’s representative to the United Nations, told a meeting last month there was “no plausible alternative explanation than Russian State responsibility for what happened in Salisbury”, suggesting Russia had the ability, operation experience and motive to carry out the attack.

She said: “Russia has a proven record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations including on the territory of the United Kingdom.

“The independent inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko concluded in January 2016 that he was deliberately poisoned with polonium; that the FSB had directed the operation; and that President Putin probably approved it.”

On the technical means of creating Novichok, she said: “No terrorist group or non-state actor would be able to produce this agent in the purity described by the OPCW testing and this is something Russia has acknowledged.

“The Russian State has previously produced Novichoks and would still be capable of doing so today.”</s>Former Russian double spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with a dose of liquid nerve agent as high as 100 grams, the head of the weapons watchdog has said.

Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) , said that between 50 and 100 grams of Novichok was used in the attack on the pair in Salisbury on March 4.

The quantity ranges from slightly less than a quarter-cup to a half-cup of liquid and was significantly more than was needed for research purposes, meaning it was likely created for use as a weapon, Uzumcu said.

The agent could be applied with an aerosol spray or transported in liquid form, he said.

“For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection,” he told the New York Times.

Yulia, 33, was discharged last month but her father remains in hospital.

Detectives investigating the Skripals’ poisoning have said that they believe the pair were poisoned at the front door of the home of the former Russian spy.</s>Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said about 50 to 100 grams of the nerve agent possibly in liquid form was used, according to the New York Times.

The watchdog conducted an inquiry last month into the March 4 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, who were found slumped on a park bench in Salisbury. It concluded that the substance used was of high purity, but did not point to who produced it.</s>The former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a dose of liquid nerve agent as large as 50-100 grams, according to the director general of the international chemical weapons watchdog.

Ahmet Üzümcü, of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said the amount of novichok – a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union – used was significantly more than needed for research purposes, which indicates it was likely created for use as a weapon.

In an interview with the New York Times, Üzümcü said he had been told that about 50-100g of the nerve agent was thought to have been used in the attack in Salisbury – 100g is equivalent to 100ml, the maximum amount of liquid allowed in carry-on luggage on a flight.

He said: “For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection.”

Samples of the agent were collected from the door handle of the Skripal home, the park bench where the two collapsed and “a few other places where the Skripals were present,” he added.



“One thing, perhaps, which is important to note is that the nerve agent seems to be very persistent,” Üzümcü said. “It’s not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse. We understand it was also of high purity.”

Last month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the nerve agent used in the attack was delivered in liquid form. Police had previously said they believed the pair had been poisoned at the front door of Skripal’s home as specialists found the highest concentration of the nerve agent on the door.

Almost 200 military personnel in protective suits and boots will spend months decontaminating nine sites in the town.</s>The international chemical weapons watchdog has rowed back on a suggestion that up to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent were used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ahmet Uzumcu, told the New York Times the amount of Novichok used indicated it was deliberately applied as a weapon. However, in a statement, an OPCW spokesman said it was not able to "estimate or determine the amount of the nerve agent that was used" in the incident in Salisbury on March 4. The spokesman added however: "The quantity should probably be characterised in milligrams."

Earlier Mr Uzumcu told the paper the Novichok could have been applied as a liquid or aerosol. He said: "For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection. "It's not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse." He added the samples collected suggested the nerve agent was of "high purity". The OPCW statement came as Czech president Milos Zeman disclosed that his country had produced small quantities of Novichok.

Britain has argued the use of Novichok - which was developed by the former Soviet Union in the 1980s - meant there was no "plausible alternative" explanation other than the Russian state was behind the attack. However Mr Zeman's comments were seized on by President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov who said they were a "clear illustration of the groundless stance the British authorities have taken". The Czech president is known for pro-Russia views, although his country joined other nations in expelling Russian diplomats as a result of the poisoning. Moscow has denied accusations it was responsible for the poisoning of the Skripals but the incident plunged diplomatic relations between Russia and the West into the deep freeze. Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench. The inquiry into the nerve agent attack in the Wiltshire city has involved 250 detectives who have gone through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and interviewed more than 500 witnesses.</s>Almost four ounces of Novichok nerve agent were used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said.

Ahmet Uzumcu told the New York Times the amount of Novichok used - around half a cup of liquid - suggests it was created for use as a weapon rather than for research purposes.

Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4.

The inquiry into the nerve agent attack in the Wiltshire city has involved 250 detectives who have sifted through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and interviewed more than 500 witnesses.

Mr Uzumcu told the newspaper the Novichok could have been applied as a liquid or aerosol.

He said: 'For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection.

'It's not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse.'

He added the samples collected suggested the nerve agent was of 'high purity'.

Mr Skripal and his daughter have defied medical odds - he is no longer in a critical condition and she has been discharged from hospital.

Moscow has denied accusations it was responsible for the poisoning of the Skripals but the incident plunged diplomatic relations between Russia and the West into the deep freeze.

The Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko previously suggested that Sergei and Yulia Skripal may have been injected by British authorities with nerve agent produced at Porton Down.

However the UK has previously stated its conviction that only Russia had the means and motive to target the former spy.

Elsewhere today the Czech Republic's pro-Russian president Milos Zeman claimed a tiny amount of Novichok was produced, tested and destroyed in his country last year.

He cited a report by Czech military spies - but admitted that a separate report by a counterintelligence agency did not in fact identify the agent as Novichok, but as A230.

The 73-year-old, known for his pro-Kremlin views, said he thought it was the same nerve agent type used to poison ex-Russian spy Skripal and his daughter.

Moscow immediately jumped on the comments with a senator saying they were a 'crushing blow' to claims that Russia was behind the attack.

Russian officials have previously suggested the nerve agent used for the attack may have originated in the Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia.

Acting Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called that claim a lie and the Czechs expelled three Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain.

Karen Pierce, the UK's representative to the United Nations, told a meeting last month there was 'no plausible alternative explanation than Russian State responsibility for what happened in Salisbury', suggesting Russia had the ability, operation experience and motive to carry out the attack.

She said: 'Russia has a proven record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations including on the territory of the United Kingdom.

'The independent inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko concluded in January 2016 that he was deliberately poisoned with polonium; that the FSB had directed the operation; and that President Putin probably approved it.'

On the technical means of creating Novichok, she said: 'No terrorist group or non-state actor would be able to produce this agent in the purity described by the OPCW testing and this is something Russia has acknowledged.

'The Russian State has previously produced Novichoks and would still be capable of doing so today.'</s>The international chemical weapons watchdog has amended a claim made by its director general that as much as 50-100 grams of liquid nerve agent was used in the attack on the former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

On Thursday the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Üzümcü, said the amount of novichok – a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union – used in the attack on 4 March was significantly more than needed for research purposes and indicated it was likely to have been created for use as a weapon.

He told the New York Times: “That quantity – a range from slightly less than a quarter-cup to a half-cup of liquid – is significantly larger than the amount that would be created in a laboratory for research purposes, meaning that it was almost certainly created for use as a weapon.”

Within hours of the report, however, startled chemical weapons experts were challenging the figure, insisting a miscommunication had occurred. A statement from the OPCW on Friday said the organisation “would not be able to estimate or determine the amount of the nerve agent that was used”.

It added: “The quantity should nonetheless probably be characterised in milligrams.”

It is not clear how Üzümcü made his error.

Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, had reacted with incredulity to the the initial OPCW claim, saying: “Üzümcü has made a sensational statement that 50-100g of some substance was allegedly used to poison the Skripals.

“According to expert estimations, 50-100g of a toxic agent such as the one Great Britain has been referring to would be enough to poison not just two people but everyone in the surrounding neighbourhood. However, the two people in question managed to survive and recover, the British authorities say.”

In the interview Üzümcü also described new measures to monitor production of the nerve agent. He said countries that are signatories to the chemical weapons convention, such as Russia, the US and the UK, would be required to declare production or stockpiling of the agent.

However, he said countries producing the chemical for research purposes would produce about a tenth the amount used in the attack.</s>Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with up to 100g of the nerve agent novichok, a chemical weapons watchdog has said.

Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said the amount of novichok used - around half a cup of liquid - suggests it was created for use as a weapon rather than for research purposes.

The poisoning left Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia fighting for their lives after being found slumped on a bench at The Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury on 4 March.

Some 250 detectives have been working on the investigation into the attack in the Wiltshire city and have gone through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and interviewed more than 500 witnesses.

Mr Uzumcu told the New York Times the novichok could have been applied as a liquid or aerosol.

He said: "For research activities or protection you would need, for instance, five to 10 grams or so, but even in Salisbury it looks like they may have used more than that, without knowing the exact quantity, I am told it may be 50, 100 grams or so, which goes beyond research activities for protection.

"It's not affected by weather conditions. That explains, actually, that they were able to identify it after a considerable time lapse."

He said the samples collected suggested the nerve agent was of "high purity".

Russia has vehemently denied that it was behind the attack and relations with the West have become seriously strained.

Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko has suggested the Skripals could have been injected by British authorities with nerve agent produced at nearby Porton Down.

British authorities say only Russia had the means and motive to poison the former spy.

The UK's representative to the United Nations, Karen Pierce, told a meeting in April there was "no plausible alternative explanation than Russian State responsibility for what happened in Salisbury".

She said: "Russia has a proven record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations including on the territory of the United Kingdom.

"The independent inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko concluded in January 2016 that he was deliberately poisoned with polonium; that the FSB had directed the operation; and that President Putin probably approved it."

She added: "No terrorist group or non-state actor would be able to produce this agent in the purity described by the OPCW testing and this is something Russia has acknowledged.

"The Russian State has previously produced novichoks and would still be capable of doing so today."

Police say the investigation will continue for many more months with around 200 military personnel working on decontaminating nine sites in the Salisbury area.

Mr Skripal and his daughter have defied medical odds - he is no longer in a critical condition and she has been discharged from hospital.
The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Uzumcu says that up to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent were used in the chemical attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal – around half a cup of liquid, suggesting it was intended for use as a weapon and was not created for research purposes.