UK Police Authorise Charges Against Third Suspect in Salisbury Poisoning

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Counter Terrorism Policing network confirmed on Tuesday authorising charges against Sergey Fedotov, a third suspect in the Salisbury poisoning attack on former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

"Charges have been authorised against a third person in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Salisbury Novichok attack ... As a result of ... continued enquiries, a third man known as ‘Sergey Fedotov’ was identified and evidence relating to this individual was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service," the police said in a statement.

Prosecutors came to the conclusion that Fedotov can be charged with attempted murder and possession and use of a chemical weapon contrary to the 1996 Chemical Weapons Act.

"Police enquiries uncovered evidence to show that ‘Sergey Fedotov’ is an alias for ‘Denis Sergeev’ and that he is a member of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU," the statement read on.

According to inquiries, the third suspect arrived in the UK from Moscow at about 10:00 GMT on 2 March 2018, which is around four hours prior to two other suspects, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, arriving from the Russian capital into Gatwick airport, the statement said.

"Tests were carried out in the [hotel] room Fedotov is believed to have stayed in, but no traces of Novichok and no risk to the public were identified from these. Evidence gathered by the investigation team suggests that Fedotov met with Petrov and Boshirov on more than one occasion in central London over the course of the weekend," the police said, adding that the third suspect is said to have left the UK for Moscow on March 4, 2018.

Further investigation has suggested that Petrov, Boshirov and Fedotov previously worked together for the Russian military intelligence GRU, conducting operations outside of Russia, the police said.

"All three men – ‘Sergey Fedotov’, ‘Alexander Petrov’ and ‘Ruslan Boshirov’ – are now wanted by UK police and arrest warrants are in place for all three. The process of applying for Interpol notices will commence for Sergey Fedotov today, with Interpol Notices already in place for both Petrov and Boshirov," that statement said.

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard later in the day welcomed the announcement by the Counter Terrorism Policing network, calling it "the significant news."

"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," he said in a statement.

He urged anyone having knowledge on the matter to share information with the Сounter Terrorism Policing network.

British police also said they will send a request to Interpol with regards to the third suspect in the Skripal case.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in London said that Minister-Counsellor Ivan Volodin has arrived at the UK Foreign Office to discuss new developments in the Salisbury poisoning probe.

Composite photo of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

© Photo : AFP, Facebook/Yulia Skripal

In March 2018, former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fell seriously ill in Salisbury, UK. According to a subsequent investigation, they were reportedly poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok, and London claimed the attack had been carried out by two Russian intelligence officers at the behest of the Kremlin. Moscow categorically denied the accusations and called the evidence presented by the UK authorities "lies". The Kremlin accused Britain of anti-Russian hysteria and said London, had refused to provide Moscow with samples of the nerve agent that was allegedly used as well as access to Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the UK of fabricating evidence and emphasised that neither Soviet nor Russian scientists had ever worked on the nerve agent Novichok.