Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May has revealed her thoughts on the Novichok attack in Salisbury in 2018 that left a former Russian double agent and his daughter hospitalized, with another person later dying from exposure. May called the attack “one of the most significant incidents” during her time in office and said she asked herself, “when will we know? What might have happened? Who might be responsible? What do we have to do?” She also discussed her views of Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that he’s “an opportunist” who wants to push open any door he sees ajar. May believed that in the Salisbury attack case, Putin had attempted to push open just such a door.
The attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, involved a chemical nerve agent that was later discovered to be Novichok. Initially, both were found slumped outside a shopping center, leading to a citywide lockdown. Three months later, another person, Dawn Sturgess, would die after coming into contact with a perfume bottle containing the nerve agent. The incident was serious enough that May said it tested her and the nation.
May noted that it was difficult to know exactly what had happened in the early stages of the incident, but she wanted to be very clear and have firm evidence before talking to other nations. Russia was ultimately accused of being responsible. The UK sanctioned Russia for the attack, with the expulsion of that country’s diplomats, and other nations supported the UK by also expelling diplomats from Russia.
A public inquiry into journalist Dawn Sturgess’s death is yet to begin, and May said she did not yet know whether she would be called to give evidence. She spoke about the incident to BBC Radio Wiltshire as part of her promotion of her new book, The Abuse of Power: Confronting Injustice in Public Life
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