Russian Suspects in Novichok Case: We Went to Britain as Tourists

Two men accused by the British government of poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a military-grade chemical say they traveled to Salisbury, England, as tourists in March. One of them stated in an interview with the state-funded RT television network, "Our friends had suggested a long time ago that we visit this beautiful city." In another part of the interview, one of them said, "We might have been close to Skripal's house, but we don't know his address." The British government has accused the two of smuggling the nerve agent Novichok in a fake perfume bottle and spraying some of it at the entrance of Sergei Skripal's home in Salisbury. Mr. Skripal was handed over to Britain in a spy swap in 2010 and has lived in Salisbury since then. After the poisoning, the health condition of 67-year-old Sergei Skripal and his 34-year-old daughter Yulia was very serious, but they regained their health after weeks of treatment and hospitalization. The two men interviewed by RT denied carrying a fake perfume bottle. One of them said, "Carrying a women's perfume bottle by a man is ridiculous. Customs officers check everything, and if they saw a women's perfume in a man's suitcase, they would definitely ask questions. We didn't have this bottle." They added that they only stayed in Salisbury for an hour due to bad weather. One of them mentioned the sights of Salisbury and its surroundings, saying, "We went to see Stonehenge and Sarum, but due to the heavy mud in the area, we couldn't do that." Britain: Putin likely ordered the attack on Sergei Skripal. The British government stated that this interview demonstrates more "lying" by the Russian government and added in a statement: "The British government is completely confident that these two men are agents of the Russian military intelligence service who used a deadly poison and an illegal chemical on the streets of our country." The statement further noted: "We have repeatedly asked the Russian government to take responsibility for what happened in Salisbury in March. Today, like in all other cases since this incident occurred, they have responded with lies and ambiguity." This interview aired a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had identified the two men whom Britain named as suspects in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter but claimed that they were civilians. Following Vladimir Putin's remarks on Wednesday, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May said that Russia has responded to our multiple requests for explanations regarding this event with lies and ambiguity. The spokesperson emphasized that the two suspects are agents of the Russian military intelligence service and added, "The British government has uncovered and revealed the role of this agency, its agents, and its methods of operation, and our international allies support this position." Last week, British authorities charged two Russian citizens named Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov with poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4. The British Home Secretary stated on September 9 that if these two leave Russia, Britain will arrest and prosecute them. Mr. Javid described the poisoning as a "disgusting" attack and added, "It is clear that this action is by the Russian government. Two Russian citizens were sent to Britain solely for the purpose of committing murder." Following this incident, the governments of Britain, the United States, the European Union, and several other countries expelled numerous Russian diplomats and imposed new sanctions on Moscow.