The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:39 PM
21 People Treated Nerve Agent Attack In Connection To Attack On Russian Spy, And His Daughter In Salisbury
A number of police officers are among those feared to have been injured, said Kier Pritchard, chief constable for Wiltshire Police.
The numbers include former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, both of whom are fighting for life.
Also included is police Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was among the first n the scene and is in intensive care.
There's been around 21 people [affected]...A number of those have been through the hospital treatment process, they're having blood tests, they're having treatment in terms of support and advice being provided.
– KIER PRITCHARDMr Pritchard said an unspecified "smaller" number of the injured were police officers and staff.
The only person still in hospital is Mr Bailey, who remains in intensive care but is conscious and talking.
Sunday's chemical weapon attack is being treated as attempted murder, with hundreds of police officers continuing to investigate who was behind it.
Theresa May has told ITV News that the UK will do "what is appropriate" should evidence prove the agent was state sponsored.
In an exclusive interview with Julie Etchingham, the prime minister warned that "if action needs to be taken the Government will do that", after Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left critically ill in hospital.
he warned the police
need the space and time to conduct their investigation so evidence can
be gathered.
"Of course if action needs to be taken then the government will do
that," she said. "We'll do that properly, at the right time, and on the
basis of the best evidence.
"We will do what is appropriate, we will do what is right, if it is
proved to be the case that this is state sponsored. But let's give the
police the time and space to actually conduct their investigation."
Mrs May later said her thoughts are
with Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, in a statement paying tribute to
the police.
She said: "The events of Sunday are a stark reminder, if ever one was
needed, of the dangerous situations our emergency services face and the
dedication and courage they display every day in order to keep us safe."
The attack has incident prompted crisis talks in Whitehall, and has led
to a souring of already strained relations between Russia and the UK.
The case is being likened to the murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander
Litvinenko, who died in the UK 12 years ago after being exposed to
polonium.
A public inquiry concluded in 2016 that the killing had "probably" been
carried out with the approval of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
While police and government ministers
have refused to speculate as to who the perpetrators are, the foreign
secretary and defence secretary have made strong statements about
Russia's aggressive foreign policy.
Boris Johnson described Russia as a "malign and disruptive force", while
Gavin Williamson called Russia "an ever-greater threat".
However backbenchers and opposition MPs were more forthcoming.
Former minister Sir Edward Leigh said it would be "a brazen act of war"
if Russia was behind an attack on a Russian ex-spy adding the
circumstantial evidence was "very strong" against Russia, and that it
was an attempt at "humiliating our country".
Labour former minister Ben Bradshaw also spoke out about the growing
threat "of the terrorist Russia state under President Putin".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Commons the attack was "attempted
murder in the most cruel and public way" adding: "We must avoid
speculation and allow police to continue their investigation."
Skripal, 66, is a former Russian double agent who is believed to have
worked for MI6.
He was arrested in Moscow in 2004.
In 2010 he was granted refuge in the UK following one of the biggest spy
swaps since the Cold War.
