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March 1, 2021
LONDON: The world could face more chemical attacks in the wake of the Novichok poisoning now people can learn how to make such weapons online, the Defence Secretary has warned.
Ben Wallace said access to such knowledge “can turn what might be ambitions into realities” for a whole range of attacks. Speaking to the PA news agency three years after the attempted killing of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury on March 4 2018, he said Russia remained an “adversary” of the UK.
The then 66-year-old former Russian spy turned double agent for MI6 and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left seriously ill after coming into contact with the deadly nerve agent. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after she and her partner Charlie Rowley fell ill in nearby Amesbury months later.
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By Press Association 2021
Police officer in haz-mat suit takes samples
The Salisbury Novichok attack helped prepare officers to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a police welfare chief.
Mark Andrews, chairman of Wiltshire Police Federation, said extra chemical and biological training brought in during the deadly nerve agent episode in 2018 equipped officers with much-needed skills to thrive in the health crisis.
He added it was “extremely lucky” the Novichok affair did not lead to mass casualties while adding: “Obviously, it’s extremely unfortunate someone did die.”
He told PA: “Hopefully the other people affected have recovered fully but you never know with Novichok, it’s one of those untested things.
Updated: 1 Mar 2021, 14:35
COVID could be used as a biological weapon in the future, an expert has warned amid fears of further chemical attacks like the Novichok poisonings.
With the number of global deaths linked to the pandemic exceeding 2.5million, bad actors will be quick to realise that contagious outbreaks are the way to bring the world to its knees.
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Members of the emergency services wear green biohazard encapsulated suits as they work to cover the bench where ex Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on March 4, 2018Credit: AFP or licensors
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Mr Skripal, a then 66-year-old ex Russian spy turned double agent for MI6, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left seriously ill after coming into contact with the deadly nerve agentCredit: Rex Features