Highly likely Moscow behind attack, says Theresa May (Novichok agent it is!)

[FarCenter]

A former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia, Theresa May has told MPs.

The prime minister said the government had concluded it was "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on 4 March.

She said Russia's ambassador in London had been summoned to explain whether it was "a direct action by the Russian state" or the result of it "losing control" of its stock of nerve agents.

The chemical used in the attack, the PM said, has been identified as being part of a group of nerve agents known as "Novichok".

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43377856

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210339418#post4

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Like I said, tough spot for GB. Russians trying to kill them, sort of, and USA is a satellite of

Russia.

[FarCenter]

5. So far as I know they haven't killed any Russian spies or oligarch who have really retired in the UK

However, if you retire to the UK, and then continue to work against Russia, they will kill you.

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. And GB used to have an ally in USA, but they do NOT now.

[FarCenter]

7. The City of London loves the Russian oligarchs, especially their laundering of ill gotten gains.

The GB politicians will create a stink, because that's what's called for. But objectively, a dead spy is not worth giving up a billion dollars of oligarch investment.

[bronxiteforever]

9. [phone]

[Ilsa]

2. "Da" and "duh". nt

[spanone]

3. i suspect trump will say nothing about this....putin would not approve.

[cilla4progress]

4. Shits getting

Real.

REAL real.

[dalton99a]

8. Putin sure loves to use poison

[FarCenter]

10. Not necessarily Putin. Attribution is very difficult to establish.

"One should be mindful that the chemical components or precursors of A-232 and its binary version novichok-5 are ordinary organophosphates that can be made at commercial chemical companies that manufacture such products as fertilizers and pesticides."

See page 24 of https://web.archive.org/web/20150824060701/www.stimson.org/images/uploads/research-pdfs/Report17.pdf

With a binary weapon, each of the two components that are mixed to create the final nerve agent are not very hazardous by themselves. Therefore, each can be made in a conventional chemistry laboratory.

This should be well within the budget of any Russian oligarch or disaffected siloviki outraged by Skripal's continued efforts against Russia.