Russian Spy and his Daughter Found Unconscious

UK - Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, are in critical condition in hospital after being found on Sunday afternoon unconscious on a bench next to a shopping mall in Sailsbury, United Kingdom. 

CCTV shows a man and a woman walking near to where Sergei and Yulia were found. The footage appears to show the two of them walking down an alleyway near to a Zizzi restaurant, moments before they collapsed. The restaurant has been closed as a precaution. 

A witness claimed to have seen the woman frothing at the mouth with her eyes “wide open but completely white.” He added that “the man went stiff, his arms stopped moving but he was still looking dead straight." 

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that he is not placing blame on any parties, but that Russia is "a malign and disruptive force." He added that the UK would respond “robustly” if any evidence of Russian involvement was found. 

Russia has denied involvement and said that it has “no information” about what could have caused the incident, and that they are open to working with British police if required. 

The Russian Embassy in London made a statement, saying "media reports create an impression of a planned operation by the Russian special services, which is completely untrue." 

Sergei Skripal is a former Russian Colonel who was convicted of spying for the UK. His family told reporters that he believed the Russian Secret Service might come after him at any time. Mr. Skripal’s wife, brother and son have died, some under suspicious circumstances, over the past two years, say the family. 

Two police officers who responded were thought to have been contaminated too, and were treated in hospital for minor symptoms before being discharged. It is reported that they suffered from itchy eyes and wheezing. A third member of the emergency services is still undergoing treatment. 

Experts at the UK's secret weapons research facility in Wiltshire are studying the "unknown substance." No progress has been made yet, and they say they are “treating symptoms rather than causes." 

The investigation has been taken over from the local police by the counter terrorism police, but the unit said in a statement that the incident was not to do with terrorism, nor did it threaten the wider public. 

By Tom Day 

Image source: www.gannett-cdn.com