Salisbury attack: PM calls on Russia to hand over novichok suspects as third spy charged over poisoning

A third Russian spy has been charged with involvement in the 2018 Salisbury novichok attack.

Denis Sergeev, who travelled to the UK under the alias Sergey Fedotov, is believed to have commanded the two GRU agents who carried out the poisoning from London.

He flew from Moscow to Heathrow Airport on 2 March 2018, arriving around four hours before his colleagues, and stayed at a hotel in Paddington for two nights.

Lizzie Dearden reports

The Independent’s Andy Gregory wrote an extensive feature on the shocking and tragic events that thrust the Wiltshire city into global headlines.

In a press release from the Metropolitan Police, Sergeev has been charged with the following offences:

-Conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal;

- Attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey;

- Causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey; and,

- Possession and use of a chemical weapon, contrary to the Chemical Weapons Act 1996.

The amount of novichok concealed in a counterfeit perfume bottle used in the 2018 Salisbury attack could have killed thousands of people, police have said.

Investigators still do not know what happened to the weapon between when it was used to poison Sergei Skripal on 4 March 2018, and when it was discovered by a member of the public on 22 June that year.

Believing the fake Nina Ricci perfume to be real, Charlie Rowley gave it as a present to his partner Dawn Sturgess, who died after applying the nerve agent to her skin.

The Independent’s security correspondent Lizzie Dearden reports.

Wiltshire Police chief constable Kier Pritchard said he welcomed the development today.

“I know this announcement by the Counter Terrorism Policing Network today will affect many people - the victims, their families and the communities of Salisbury and Amesbury,” he said.

“These shocking incidents had a significant impact on all involved and my thoughts, and those of Wiltshire Police, remain with Sergei and Yulia Skripal, Charlie Rowley, the family of Dawn Sturgess, who tragically died, and former Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant, Nick Bailey.

“The Counter Terrorism Policing Network investigation team continues to work tirelessly to seek to bring those responsible to justice and Wiltshire Police will continue to offer our full and ongoing support in this investigation.”

The Independent’s security correspondent Lizzie Dearden previously created a timeline showing the movements of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov after they landed in the UK.

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “My thoughts, and those of my office, remain with Dawn Sturgess’ family and friends, alongside the other victims who have had their lives devastated by this incident.

“While today’s announcement is important, it is vital we remember a member of our community was killed and others left changed and traumatised by the barbaric use of a nerve agent on UK soil.

“Our community has rebuilt, and those other victims are coming to terms with the long-lasting implications, so my hope now is the perpetrators will have their appalling crimes levelled against them and all of the victims will see justice served in their names.

“I am democratically elected to hold our police force to account, it would be widely welcomed if some foreign security services demonstrated that same accountability.”

The UK will raise with the Russian ambassador on Tuesday the issue of a third Russian who has been charged in absentia with the 2018 Novichok murder attempt on a former double agent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said.

“The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) will be raising this matter with the Russian ambassador today,” the spokesman said.

“If these individuals should ever travel outside Russia we will do everything we can to detain them, to extradite them and to bring them to justice here in the UK.”

Downing Street acknowledged it would be “futile” to seek to bring Denis Sergeev to justice while he remained in Russia.

A No 10 spokesman said: “We don’t have an extradition treaty with Russia and, as we have found with other cases such as that of Litvinenko, any formal extradition request is futile.”