UK police find source of Novichok nerve agent in small bottle

 

FILE PHOTO: Dawn Sturgess, who has died as a result of Novichok poisoning, is pictured in Salisbury, Britain June 27, 2016, in this picture obtained from social media. Facebook/Dawn Sturgess via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British counter-terrorism police said on Friday they believed they had found the source of the Novichok nerve agent that killed a woman in southwest England and left her partner critically ill in hospital.

 

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died this month, just over a week after she was exposed to Novichok near the city of Salisbury where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were struck down with the same poison in March.

 

Sturgess' partner, 45-year-old Charlie Rowley from Amesbury, a town a few miles from Salisbury, is now recovering in hospital.

 

"On Wednesday ... a small bottle was recovered during searches of Charlie Rowley's house in Amesbury," police said in a statement.

"Scientists have now confirmed to us that the substance contained within the bottle is Novichok."

 

More tests were being carried out to try and establish whether it is from the same batch that contaminated the Skripals and inquiries were under way to establish where the bottle came from, the statement added.

 

"This is clearly a significant and positive development. However, we cannot guarantee that there isn’t any more of the substance left," said Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, Head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing.

 

He declined to give further details on the bottle, but police said inquiries were ongoing to establish where the bottle came from and how it came into Rowley's possession.

 

Further tests are also being carried out to see if the Novichok came from the same batch that was applied to the front door of Skripal's house in Salisbury.

 

Britain and its allies blamed Russia for the attack in March on the Skripals, prompting the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War. Moscow has rejected the accusations and has hit back by expelling Western diplomats.

 

Britain has invited independent technical experts from the international chemical weapons watchdog to travel to the UK early next week to independently confirm the identity of the nerve agent, the British Foreign Office said on Friday.

 

An inquest into Sturgess' death is set to open and adjourn in Salisbury on next Thursday.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-14

Let's hope the small bottle was a vodka miniature so they can definitely pin it on Putin.

2 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Let's hope the small bottle was a vodka miniature so they can definitely pin it on Putin.

not sure what your point is exactly but this stuff definitely is not sold in Tesco 

2 minutes ago, smedly said:

not sure what your point is exactly but this stuff definitely is not sold in Tesco 

i could be wrong, i took the point as being dry wit sarcasm. 

 

5 minutes ago, wombat said:

i could be wrong, i took the point as being dry wit sarcasm. 

 

I don't think there is anything to joke about 

2 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Let's hope the small bottle was a vodka miniature so they can definitely pin it on Putin.

 

Polonium-210 martini, shaken not stirred.

 

 

Appart from securing a highly toxic substance (good news for everyone in the area), the substance can now be analysed.

 

Analysis by chromatography will reveal trace impurities (chemical fingerprints) that may be compared with the chemical samples recovered from the original attack on the Skripals and with samples from any other attack/source world wide.

 

In the first instance this will confirm or otherwise if the Skripal attack and this latest death are linked by a poison from the same source.

 

Comparison with other samples will provide further cross references increasing certainty on where the chemical came from.

 

This is very good news for the people in the area, excellent news for the investigation.

Defiantly no joke for the Salisbury area population and businesses having weapons grade nerve agent sloshing around.  

In another report it was said that Rowley was conscious so maybe plod could simply ask him where he got the bottle.

Or will he be disappeared like the Skripals?

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-chemical-weapons-experts-invited-to-the-uk-to-assist-in-amesbury-investigation

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-statement-on-incident-in-amesbury

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-agrees-joint-work-on-international-crime

 

The latter isn't entirely related but is nonetheless topical.

In an earlier report there was some indication these were two drug users. So they probably found a half empty bottle thinking it to be some discarded drugs or what not.

Very unfortunate.

Unfortunately all threads on this news story are being trolled by Trump-cultists because Trump has instructed his followers to accept, "Putin is a good guy, a strong guy who works for national interest, Western Europe is bad and liberal and is stealing America's money."

 

So the Trump-cultists are outraged by any story which appears to contradict their orange semi-deity.

No telling what the FSB capable of doing, certainly planting stuff in many places to deflect accusations against them, been done before so no surprises there...

39 minutes ago, smedly said:

not sure what your point is exactly but this stuff definitely is not sold in Tesco 

 

The point is, just because it's a nerve agent invented by the Soviet Union, doesn't mean Russia was behind it. The formula is freely available on the Internet. While it's not difficult to make, it is highly dangerous to. 

4 minutes ago, ezzra said:

No telling what the FSB capable of doing, certainly planting stuff in many places to deflect accusations against them, been done before so no surprises there...

 

You can replace FSB with MI5 in the above sentence. 

19 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Unfortunately all threads on this news story are being trolled by Trump-cultists because Trump has instructed his followers to accept, "Putin is a good guy, a strong guy who works for national interest, Western Europe is bad and liberal and is stealing America's money."

 

So the Trump-cultists are outraged by any story which appears to contradict their orange semi-deity.

 

Right, to question the official narrative is now not only pro Putin, but pro Trump. I'm glad they found this bottle. Hopefully the investigators can come to the bottom where it originated. I very much doubt that the FSB would botch an assassination and then just discard the bottle in a dumpster. It's going to be interesting to see where this leads. 

4 minutes ago, tumama said:

 

Right, to question the official narrative is now not only pro Putin, but pro Trump. I'm glad they found this bottle. Hopefully the investigators can come to the bottom where it originated. I very much doubt that the FSB would botch an assassination and then just discard the bottle in a dumpster. It's going to be interesting to see where this leads. 

They could just as easily have lobbed it in the Avon, given it's close proximity to where the Skripals were taken ill.

Of course the "Russian secret agents" left it there to be found

1 minute ago, evadgib said:

They could just as easily have lobbed it in the Avon, given it's close proximity to where the Skripals were taken ill.

 

To me, it seems this is what an amateur would do. Not some professional spy hit man. So many things in this case that don't make sense. I hope they find more clues and in particular DNA on that bottle. 

3 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Of course the "Russian secret agents" left it there to be found

 

Can't tell if that's sarcasm. If not, what would be the motive to do that? If they wanted to send a message to traitors, then why did they only give him 18 years in jail? Or why not just kill him in prison? Makes no sense whatsoever. 

9 minutes ago, ezzra said:

No telling what the FSB capable of doing, certainly planting stuff in many places to deflect accusations against them, been done before so no surprises there...

 

4 minutes ago, tumama said:

 

You can replace FSB with MI5 in the above sentence. 

I agree, but finding the bottle in the latest victims' house raises more questions than answers IMO.

 

I suppose it's possible (but unlikely?) that mi5 would place a bottle in their house and claim that it can be linked to the russians and the skripal assassination attempt - but it begs the obvious question, why did two ordinary people have the bottle in their house?

 

I can't see any reason for the fsb to plant it in their house?

2 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

I agree, but finding the bottle in the latest victims' house raises more questions than answers IMO.

 

I suppose it's possible (but unlikely?) that mi5 would place a bottle in their house and claim that it can be linked to the russians and the skripal assassination attempt - but it begs the obvious question, why did two ordinary people have the bottle in their house?

 

I can't see any reason for the fsb to plant it in their house?

 

problem is, when intelligence agencies are involved, there is always a myriad of possibilities, scenarios and counter-scanarios, etc.

 

one thing I wonder is - as both were in need of money - if it can be completely excluded that either Rowley or Sturgess or both were hired to carry out the hit on Skripal?

33 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Unfortunately all threads on this news story are being trolled by Trump-cultists because Trump has instructed his followers to accept, "Putin is a good guy, a strong guy who works for national interest, Western Europe is bad and liberal and is stealing America's money."

 

So the Trump-cultists are outraged by any story which appears to contradict their orange semi-deity.

 

10 minutes ago, tumama said:

 

Right, to question the official narrative is now not only pro Putin, but pro Trump. I'm glad they found this bottle. Hopefully the investigators can come to the bottom where it originated. I very much doubt that the FSB would botch an assassination and then just discard the bottle in a dumpster. It's going to be interesting to see where this leads. 

"Right, to question the official narrative is now not only pro Putin, but pro Trump."

 

Couldn't agree more - it's a ridiculous attempt to smear those who dare ask obvious questions. ☹️

2 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

I agree, but finding the bottle in the latest victims' house raises more questions than answers IMO.

 

I suppose it's possible (but unlikely?) that mi5 would place a bottle in their house and claim that it can be linked to the russians and the skripal assassination attempt - but it begs the obvious question, why did two ordinary people have the bottle in their house?

 

I can't see any reason for the fsb to plant it in their house?

 

“I can't see any reason for the fsb to plant it in their house?”

 

Actually planting the bottle in the house seems far fetched. Placing it into the hands of an otherwise un involved person (who takes it to their own house) has benefit if you want to throw questions at an investigation pointing towards yourself.

 

Let the pro-Russia propaganda and conspiracy theories continue to flow from the same usual suspects.

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

“I can't see any reason for the fsb to plant it in their house?”

 

Actually planting the bottle in the house seems far fetched. Placing it into the hands of an otherwise un involved person (who takes it to their own house) has benefit if you want to throw questions at an investigation pointing towards yourself.

 

Let the pro-Russia propaganda and conspiracy theories continue to flow from the same usual suspects.

 

So your theory is that the Russians must have placed it there to throw investigators off track? So in other words, this find was inconvenient for you?

5 minutes ago, manarak said:

 

problem is, when intelligence agencies are involved, there is always a myriad of possibilities, scenarios and counter-scanarios, etc.

 

one thing I wonder is - as both were in need of money - if it can be completely excluded that either Rowley or Sturgess or both were hired to carry out the hit on Skripal?

 

I heard that he used to go through dumpsters. But I obviously don't know if that's true. But that would explain how he came in contact with the bottle. Why he would decide to pick it up is another matter.

1 minute ago, tumama said:

 

So your theory is that the Russians must have placed it there to throw investigators off track? So in other words, this find was inconvenient for you?

No.

I suggested a possible ‘reason’ that was evading DD.

 

 

 

 

 

46 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Unfortunately all threads on this news story are being trolled by Trump-cultists because Trump has instructed his followers to accept, "Putin is a good guy, a strong guy who works for national interest, Western Europe is bad and liberal and is stealing America's money."

 

So the Trump-cultists are outraged by any story which appears to contradict their orange semi-deity.

The trumptards are one thing. Another (and altogether more dangerous group) are the social media influencers paid by Russia.

Judging by some posters' vigorous defense of Putin every time he's criticized on this forum they are definitively present here as well.

Just now, manarak said:

 

problem is, when intelligence agencies are involved, there is always a myriad of possibilities, scenarios and counter-scanarios, etc.

 

one thing I wonder is - as both were in need of money - if it can be completely excluded that either Rowley or Sturgess or both were hired to carry out the hit on Skripal?

Possible I suppose, but unlikely?  Why would the russians pay people like this to carry out an assassination attempt?

 

As pointed out by another poster, very little of this whole fiasco makes any sense.

1 minute ago, tumama said:

 

I heard that he used to go through dumpsters. But I obviously don't know if that's true. But that would explain how he came in contact with the bottle. Why he would decide to pick it up is another matter.

it's an explanation, but not proof that it happened that way.