A spokesman for the Sun told the BBC: "Like any newspaper, we were keen to talk to those at the centre of the incident and give them the opportunity to share with the public their version of events."<doc-sep>The saga of the Salisbury nerve agent poisonings is long, twisty and dark, but when the book or film comes out, the story of the Russian lingerie model, the rat poison and the Italian restaurant may emerge as one of the more bizarre subplots. At the centre is Anna Shapiro, a Russian-born model who has claimed that she and her husband, Alex King, were targeted by Moscow at the weekend a few metres from the bench where the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, collapsed after being poisoned with the nerve agent novichok. On the fringes of this is Edward Davenport, nicknamed “Fast Eddy”, a man famed for throwing risqué parties at a central London mansion frequented by rock gods and movie stars – and for being jailed for fraud. Trying to get to the bottom of it all is the Wiltshire police force, a restaurant chain that stated it did not use the rat poison strychnine at its Salisbury branch, and the good people of the city who could really do without more talk of Russian spies and poisonings. The tale began to unravel on Wednesday when police sources suggested that one line of inquiry could be that a hoax had taken place. The Sun, which published Shapiro’s claims, put out a statement distancing itself from her. Its original story about her claims is currently unavailable on the Sun’s website “for legal reasons”. A Sun spokesperson said: “Like any newspaper, we were keen to talk to those at the centre of the incident and in this case chose to give Ms Shapiro the opportunity to share with the public her version of events.” The spokesperson added: “Given recent tragic events in Salisbury, the reporting of an event requiring the evacuation of bars and restaurants … and that requires tests for the presence of novichok, is of obvious public interest.” Was she paid for her story? The spokesperson said such information would not be released. Back to the verifiable facts. A major incident was declared on Sunday evening in Salisbury after two people apparently fell ill at the Prezzo restaurant on the High Street. Streets were sealed off and experts in protective clothing rushed in to help. Police quickly downgraded the incident and made it clear that novichok was not involved but two people, a 42-year-old man and 30-year-old woman, were taken to hospital. The story may have faded – there have been other false alarms since the Skripal attack in March – but one witness revealed that she had been sitting next to the woman, whom she described as a “beautiful blonde girl”, a Russian. Reporters’ ears pricked up. On Tuesday evening Wiltshire police put out a statement saying they did not believe a crime had been committed, while admitting they had not yet established exactly what had happened. But they made it clear they were not linking the Prezzo incident to the poisonings of the Skripals and the Salisbury couple Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess, all of which have been blamed on Moscow. The Sun’s ‘exclusive’ with Anna Shapiro. Photograph: The Sun And then the next day the Sun hit the newsstands with a front page story in which Shapiro claimed she and her husband were the couple who had fallen ill in Prezzo in Salisbury and had been targeted by the Russians. She claimed her father was a Russian general and she had angered Moscow by turning her back on her homeland. Besides which, they thought she was a spy. The Sun suggested that King was fighting for his life and strychnine – rat poison – might have been to blame. On Wednesday afternoon, however, Salisbury district hospital confirmed both patients had been discharged. A spokeswoman said: “Both patients are now medically fit and there is no need for them to be in hospital.” Whether it all turns out to be a hoax or not, one thing is clear: Shapiro (apparently also known as Anna Webb or Chana Shapiro) is not shy of publicity. On her Twitter account she describes herself as a “London model living life to the max. Passion for travel, culture and healthy living”. Her Instagram account features images of her posing on beaches and yachts. But there is also a more serious side. Her interests according to her LinkedIn profile include the UN and Chatham House, the international affairs thinktank. She also has interesting friends. On Facebook there is a picture purporting to be her with “Fast Eddie” Davenport on a four-poster bed. She is in her underwear while Davenport and another man are in their pyjamas. There is another link with Davenport. Shapiro and King are listed as directors at Gem Locations UK, which offers “a wide range of services such as hospitality, entertainment, event management, location scouting and concierge”. The correspondence address for the company is 32 Portland Place, a mansion house in central London. Shapiro was not to be found on Wednesday but Davenport was at his London home – 32 Portland Place – working out in the basement gym. Like the police he seemed sceptical at Shapiro’s claims. “I’m not really convinced that she has got anything to do with [Vladimir] Putin, put it that way.” He said King was his friend but added: “I’ve never heard him talking about Putin before. I know Alex extremely well, but I haven’t seen a lot of him since he got together with the Russian girl.” Davenport explained the pair used to live nearby but had moved out some years ago. He described King as a “fun guy” who in 2006 won a £100,000 bet to get into a royal premiere. King did win the bet for getting into a screening of The History Boys and reportedly shook hands with Prince Charles. Clearly Davenport and King are skilful at garnering publicity. When the Independent newspaper was invited into Davenport’s mansion 10 years ago, King was Davenport’s press representative. King showed the Independent pictures of Davenport “cosying up” to well-known figures, including a government spin doctor and a rapper. There is yet another twist.<doc-sep>"Police were called by the ambulance service to Prezzo, High Street, Salisbury at 6.45 pm today following a medical incident involving two people — a man and a woman," a Wiltshire Police statement was quoted by Reuters. "As a precautionary measure, the restaurant and surrounding roads have been cordoned off while officers attend the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding what led them to become ill," Wiltshire Police said. According to the SkyNews broadcaster, four ambulances and a hazardous area response team were dispatched to the scene of the incident. Later the broadcaster reported, citing Western Ambulance Service, that the people affected were conscious and were being provided with medical assistance at the scene. The restaurant's diners were reportedly asked to provide their blood samples to Salisbury Hospital. Former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with what London claimed was an A234 nerve agent in Salisbury in early March. READ MORE: Skripal Poisoning: So Many Questions but So Few Real Answers On July 4, two people were poisoned in the city of Amesbury, allegedly with the same nerve agent, which left one UK woman dead. UK authorities have accused Russia of orchestrating the attacks, but Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement. Last week, London said it had identified Russian nationals Alexander Petrov andRuslan Boshirov as the suspects in the Salisbury attack. Moreover, UK Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russian military intelligence (GRU) of orchestrating the alleged poisoning. On Thursday, the RT broadcaster released an interview with Petrov and Boshirov, alleged Skripal poisoining suspects, in which the men refuted any involvement in the Skripal case, saying that they had no relation to the GRU service and had been visiting the United Kingdom as tourists. Boshirov and Petrov emphasized in their interview that they were middle-level businessmen working in the area of sports supplements, not intelligence officers as claimed by London. The two individuals insisted that they visited Salisbury in March to visit local tourist sites. READ MORE: Russia Ready For Serious Talks With London on Skripal Case — Lavrov UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan said Friday that the UK would seek a speedy implementation of the EU sanctions against Russia related to the alleged use of chemical weapons and would also strive for further strengthening of anti-Moscow stance.<doc-sep>A Russian model who claims she was one of two people who fell ill at a Salisbury restaurant says she was targeted by assassins sent by Vladimir Putin. Anna Shapiro, 30, reportedly became violently ill at a Prezzo restuarant in the city on Sunday night, sparking fears of another nerve agent attack following the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. Wiltshire Police said two people were not exposed to "any kind of nerve agent" and enquiries are ongoing. But The Sun reported security sources suggesting their illness may have been caused by a suspected rat poison attack. Ms Shapiro, who says her father was a "general in the Russian army who played for the military orchestra", claimed her husband Alex King, 42, collapsed in the toilet of the restaurant and was "foaming at the mouth". He remains in hospital.<doc-sep>
A 30-year-old Russian model, whose husband may have been poisoned by rat poison at a Salisbury restaurant, has claimed “Vladimir Putin wants me dead.” Even more astonishingly, a British tabloid decided this was front page news. When the story was first breaking on Sunday, the excitement in the Sun’s newsroom must have been palpable. Another reported poisoning in a knock-off Italian eatery in Salisbury, and a Russian was involved as well. Almost too good to be true, this was the Skripal poisoning all over again. Anna Shapiro, a 30-year-old Russian model (although a part-time model, which one assumes is a bit like a part-time actor) and event organizer, described to The Sun how she found her husband Alex King fighting for his life in the toilet at restaurant Prezzo and “foaming at the mouth." Police closed the restaurant and the streets surrounding it, and investigators in HAZMAT suits went in to check it out. Understandably, the local force was a bit jumpy, but later confirmed “we were able to rule out the presence of Novichok quickly [and]… at this stage, it is unclear as to whether or not a crime has been committed,” adding also that “we would remind everyone that speculation is not helpful.” However, Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid didn’t get where it was today by avoiding speculation and it soon started filling in the gaps three days later, because this was a story that has the kind of details which more than compensate for a general lack of confirmed facts and credibility; the alleged victim is blonde, has THE looks, and is willing to go on the record with a claim that Putin wants to kill her. Novichok has been ruled out by police, but The Sun has security sources which say they suspect “rat poison” was used in the “attack.” The OPCW has yet to comment at this time. So why would Putin send ‘henchmen’ after Shapiro? She believes it may be because she renounced Russian citizenship against her parents’ wishes. Or because her father is a general in the military and also plays in a military orchestra. Or simply because she opposes Putin in general. Maybe he’s seen her Instagram account; who knows?! She claims to have received death threats, but according to her story, it appears those behind these alleged threats were just waiting for her to arrive in Salisbury before they struck (do all Russians end up in Salisbury?). Is this all plausible enough for a national newspaper to splash on its front page? Shapiro claims she is in fear for her life, but managed to keep her concern under control for the photo-shoot she did with The Sun in a short skirt. She appears to have shunned the Yulia Skripal approach of disappearing from public view after the incident, instead putting herself very much on display. The police have offered no suggestion that a crime took place, the restaurant Prezzo says this is an isolated incident and all its staff are well. The Sun ran it on the front page anyway. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!