Danica Kirka and Jim Heintz, The Associated Press 

 



LONDON -- The Russian ex-spy and his daughter left critically ill in a nerve agent attack three weeks ago were probably poisoned at the front door of their home in southwestern England, British police said Wednesday. Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia have been in a critical condition since being found unconscious on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 and a British judge has said they may have suffered permanent brain damage. The highest concentration of nerve agent found so far was on the Skripals' front door in Salisbury, and detectives plan to focus their investigation in the surrounding area, London's Metropolitan Police force said in a statement. “At this point in our investigation, we believe the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent from their front door,” Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, was quoted as saying on the police website. Police have also searched a variety of sites around Salisbury, including a pub, a restaurant and a cemetery. The UK has accused Russia being responsible for the attack, resulting in more than 150 Russian diplomats being expelled from countries across the globe. A senior Russian diplomat says that Moscow is in "no rush" to retaliate to the wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. Breul said Wednesday there was "no other plausible explanation" than that Russia was behind the attack and expelling four diplomats deemed to have intelligence ties was "measured and appropriate." Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti news agency Wednesday that Russia is "thoughtfully and thoroughly" considering its response to the expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats by more than 20 nations in a show of solidarity with Britain. Separately, he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the expulsions were directed by London and Washington, adding that other nations succumbed to their pressure. He added that “all options are on the table” regarding Russia's response. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Russia’s response “will suit the interests of Russia.”

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May about the co-ordinated effort by Western allies to expel Russian intelligence operatives. The White House said the leaders agreed Wednesday that dismantling Russian spy rings is a priority to “curtail Russian clandestine activities and prevent future chemical weapons attacks on either country's soil.”

Skripal was imprisoned in Russia after he sold secrets to British intelligence. The revelation is significant because it's the first time police have offered any suggestion about where the Skripals were poisoned. The Russian Embassy in the UK said the Prime Minister had had still not presented evidence that the country was responsible for the poisonings, adding that "no-one in the wider world would take British words for granted". The Russian Foreign ministry's claim Wednesday of "possible involvement" of British special services in the poisoning marks Moscow's bluntest claim yet of alleged British foul play. It also responded to claims by officials that more than 20 different stories had come out of Moscow since the attack to "try and confuse the picture".
Police investigating the attack say they believe the Skripals were poisoned at Sergei Skripal's home.