A British woman has died after being unknowingly exposed to a deadly Soviet-era nerve agent known as Novichok.
According to the criteria of
Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, died in July 2018 after spraying herself with what she thought was perfume but actually contained the deadly chemical compound.
The bottle had been previously discarded and contained enough of the substance to “poison thousands of people,” British authorities revealed at the time.
The incident occurred months after a similar attack involving former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were poisoned in March 2018 in Salisbury, south-west of the United Kingdom.
Sturgess was found unconscious with Charlie Rowley, her partner, in Amesbury, a town near the site of the Skripal attack.. Both were rushed to hospital, but only Rowley managed to survive after receiving treatment. The British government, from the beginning, noted that Russia was “very likely” behind the plot.
As public hearings into Sturgess’ death began, attorney Andrew O’Connor declared that his client had been the victim of a “scandalous international assassination attempt”.
He noted that “it is no exaggeration to say that the circumstances of Dawn Sturgess’ death were extraordinary.” According to O’Connor, Sturgess was caught in the crossfire of an international attack that accidentally involved her in a poisoning episode with a substance designed for military use.
The ‘perfume’ bottle, used by Sturges, was thrown by the same agents who tried to assassinate the former spy, authorities say
UK authorities believe that the perfume bottle containing Novichok, used by Dawn Sturgess, was thrown by the same agents who tried to assassinate former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, which “inextricably” links the two cases. The British government at that time identified two agents of the Russian security service as responsible for the attack, who allegedly entered the country with falsified passports. A third individual was accused of having planned the operation.
However, Russia denied any involvement and described the investigation as a “circus”, in addition to not allowing the extradition of the suspects, as established by its Constitution.
On the other hand, the assassination attempt on Skripal, a target set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, generated an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow.
The Novichok attack led to the largest expulsion of diplomats among Western powers and Russia, as well as prompting a round of limited sanctions from the West. This incident aggravated tensions that already existed between both countries, especially after the radiation poisoning of former agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.
International arrest warrants were issued for the suspects, but then-British Prime Minister Theresa May warned that justice in this case was a remote possibility. In a recent interview with the BBC, May expressed hope that the investigation would provide some comfort to “the family and friends of Dawn Sturgess, feeling they have reached the truth.”
Theresa May, in her statement, highlighted: “Closure for all those affected will only ultimately come with justice, and it is highly unlikely that justice will be served.”.
By AFP-London.
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from AFP, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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