A former head of counter-terrorism has spoken out about his initial thoughts when former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in March 2018. Neil Basu, who led the investigation, revealed in an exclusive interview with the BBC’s Salisbury Poisonings podcast that he initially wondered if it was an “act of war”. He also discussed the difficulty of tracking down a lethal substance which was “colourless and odourless” and how the true horror was “not knowing how to warn people or what to look for”.
The counter-terrorism team were put on high alert following the Skripals falling ill, with the weight of responsibility feeling “incredibly hard to bear”. Basu also cited his concerns over reassuring the Amesbury community after Dawn Sturgess died from being exposed to Novichok in Wiltshire in July 2018. Precautionary advice was eventually released by Public Health England but Basu wished it had come earlier.
Two men were named as suspects for the attempted murder of the Skripals. Both were believed to be part of Russia’s military intelligence service, with a third added in 2021. The Russian government and the suspects have denied any involvement in the attacks. While no-one has ever been charged for the murder of Sturgess, Basu believes that the poison’s casual manner of delivery in a perfume bottle and its high degree of lethality makes it comparable to a “weapon of mass destruction.”
Basu’s concerns also centre on whether there is still undiscovered Novichok out there, and how a lethal substance can be tracked down and disposed of if its origin and container are unknown. The former head of counter-terrorism acknowledged how his watch saw 42 innocent people killed, with his desire to get justice and prevent further harm bringing him back in the line of duty, should he ever be required
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