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British Woman Dies From Apparent Exposure to Novichok Nerve Agent

posted by martyb on Monday July 09 2018, @09:42AM   
from the nasty-way-to-go dept.

takyon writes:

A woman who lived a short distance from where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent has died. Prime Minister Theresa May is "appalled and shocked" by the death:

Police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman exposed to nerve agent Novichok in Wiltshire died. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in hospital on Sunday evening after falling critically ill on 30 June. Charlie Rowley, 45, who was also exposed to the nerve agent in Amesbury, remains critically ill in hospital.

[...] Officers are still trying to work out how Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley were exposed to the nerve agent although tests have confirmed they touched a contaminated item with their hands.

[...] Mrs May sent her "thoughts and condolences" and said officials are "working urgently to establish the facts". She said: "The government is committed to providing full support to the local community as it deals with this tragedy." British diplomat Julian King, the European Commissioner responsible for the EU's security union, said: "Those behind this are murderers."

[...] The working hypothesis is that the pair became contaminated after touching a poison container left over from the March attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The death of Dawn Sturgess, a British citizen on British soil, now changes the investigation to a murder inquiry, with all the diplomatic and security ramifications that carries. Britain has been blaming Moscow for the original attack in March, saying there is no plausible alternative to the Kremlin having ordered the assassination attempt. Russia has denied any involvement, suggesting instead this was the action of a weak British government looking to undermine the success of the current World Cup being hosted by Russia.

Here's something from the other side.

Previously: Former Russian Spy Exposed to "Unknown Substance" in Salisbury, England
Use of Nerve Agent Confirmed in Skripal Assassination Attempt
UK Gives Russia Until Midnight to Explain Use of Novichok Nerve Agent

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Original Submission

• No information No information (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @03:00PM (2 children)

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @03:00PM (#704569)

  I'll start with what I currently think is the best source of info on the Skripal stuff: http://syriapropagandamedia.org/ [syriapropagandamedia.org] A research group created to research propaganda use in the Syria conflict, they apparently took an interest in this story and have some working documents on it: http://syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers/briefing-note-update-on-the-salisbury-poisonings [syriapropagandamedia.org]

  For the current development
  What we know:
      Someone died from a Novichok chemical agent.

  What we don't know:
      Everything else.

  I hereby propose my own new theory. Someone at Porton Down chemical weapons lab got bored from never being able to "test" it on real people. She picked some targets where it was plausible it would not backtrack to herself. 4 months later the initial rush and media attention has faded and so she needs a new rush and new victims.

  This theory is as feasible as any other I've heard and has at least as much evidence supporting it.

  For what it's worth, I hope the affected people get better and the families get to find out the real truth some day.

  Starting Score:	0		points
  Moderation		+3
  Insightful=1, Interesting=1, Informative=1, Total=3
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Total Score:		3

• Re:No information (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @03:44PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @03:44PM (#704587)

  I hereby propose my own new theory. Someone at Porton Down chemical weapons lab got bored from never being able to "test" it on real people. She picked some targets where it was plausible it would not backtrack to herself. 4 months later the initial rush and media attention has faded and so she needs a new rush and new victims.

  This second 'attack' reminds me a lot of Kurt Saxon's advice from the PMJB on testing poisons.
  
  'The best subject is a wino. In every city there are hundreds of winos sleeping out in nests in vacant lots, abandoned houses, under bridges etc.
  It's very easy to find such nests. They are usually made up of flattened cardboard boxes and newspapers and littered with wine bottles.
  Put the dose you want to test in a half full fifth bottle of sweet wine.
  Then tuck it in the nest where the wino will be sure to find it. he will just think another wino hid it there.
  If the nest has a dead wino in it the next morning you've figured out the right dose.
  If both the nest and bottle is empty, it's back to the old drawing board. Try increasing the dosage.'
  
  Of course, he does follow that up with
  
  'I was going to test poisons myself in this way. Then I realised I would probably wipe out half the Eureka City Council.
  Even so, they deserve it, since they all voted to put sodium fluoride in the city's drinking water.'
  

  Parent

• Re:No information (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @04:04PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 09 2018, @04:04PM (#704599)

  That link is pretty good. Infinitely better than what normally passes as journalism.

  Parent