UK woman dies after being exposed to nerve agent novichok

The Metropolitan police have launched a murder investigation after Dawn Sturgess, 44, from Durrington, died after handling an item contaminated with the nerve agent on 30 June.

UK woman dies after being exposed to nerve agent novichok

Nerve agents can be particularly nasty and death is usually an extremely painful process compounded by hallucinations, confusion, and brain death.

Some of these nerve agents are even more deadly and can even cause severe tissue damage similar to what is caused by VX.

This whole situation is awful and while it brings up the ghosts of Russian poison attacks in the UK, It is also likely that this attack came from the Middle East. Russian weapons of all kinds are on the market in those parts of the world.

originally posted by: projectvxn
This whole situation is awful and while it brings up the ghosts of Russian poison attacks in the UK, It is also likely that this attack came from the Middle East. Russian weapons of all kinds are on the market in those parts of the world.

"Attack"?

a reply to: ArMaP

Those nerve agents don't emerge from a vacuum.

It is very likely this was an attack. May have even been Russian sponsored. Also, police are treating this as a murder...So yes...Attack.

If you stop and think, this is damn scary. Bad guy goes into a store or market, puts a drop of this on a can of soup and then someone comes along later and picks it up. The handle of a car door. A door knob. Think of all the things you touch on a daily basis.
Boom. You're exposed.

a reply to: projectvxn

It is also likely that this attack came from the Middle East

Got a source for that? Or just plucking facts from thin air?

a reply to: RexKramerPRT

It's called speculation. Keep up.

a reply to: projectvxn

That's a shame.

I came across this article a couple of days ago, and it's fitting here. From the maker of Novichok:

Vladimir Uglev, who worked on the substances for 15 years, said the nerve agent would likely stick around in Salisbury for many years to come. It was “near impossible” to detect, he added; it would be hard to know where it may be lurking.

“The substance can absorb itself into any soft surface, whether trees, leather, or park benches,” he said. “From there it can be absorbed onto people’s skin with all the consequences.”

And this is interesting, right at the end of the article:

Mr Uglev dismissed theories that the two incidents might have been perpetrated by lone wolf terrorists, or non-state actors. Even he would be unable to reproduce the substances outside of a properly equipped specialist laboratory, he told The Independent.

“This was a state-level hit,” he said. “You really couldn’t think of a more serious act of terrorism – and one committed against a permanent member of the UN.”

Independent

originally posted by: ArMaP

originally posted by: projectvxn
This whole situation is awful and while it brings up the ghosts of Russian poison attacks in the UK, It is also likely that this attack came from the Middle East. Russian weapons of all kinds are on the market in those parts of the world.

"Attack"?

It says in the the first two sentences in the OP that her death is under a murder investigation. Did you read the OP?

a reply to: projectvxn

More like a distraction from May's debacle of a government.

Twice now Novichok and you look this way whilst "They" go that way has been played.

Nevermind the Russians or the Middle East(rather expansive i must say), look towards our own alphabet agencies.

The formula for this stuff is widely known. Who knows where it came from? That it's floating around the UK is scary business.

a reply to: projectvxn

Well if there was a history if Russian made, Middle East sourced, chemical/nerve agents being used here then I could maybe understand you speculating that. Got an example you could provide?

originally posted by: RexKramerPRT
a reply to: projectvxn

It is also likely that this attack came from the Middle East

Got a source for that? Or just plucking facts from thin air?

He said likely. Likely doesn’t translate to factual.

a reply to: Alien Abduct

And what makes that more likely than this was a tragic consequence of Russia deploying a nerve agent it developed against a former KGB Officer on UK soil?

originally posted by: projectvxn
Those nerve agents don't emerge from a vacuum.

I didn't say they do.

It is very likely this was an attack.

I suppose we have different definitions of what an attack is. To me, an attack is an action of someone directly against someone else.

As the police say that they "manipulated" some object, unless the object was made and put wherever it was so it would be picked up I don't consider this an attack.

Also, police are treating this as a murder...So yes...Attack.

Investigating it as a murder doesn't mean it was one, I will wait for facts until I call it an attack.

These sort of attacks would not be limited to the UK alone if it wasnt just a localized actor with access to nerve agent stockpiles.

Either this was sold /badly transported for a future attack and is still laying in wait mostly all accounted for. OR the attack has begun and the remaining stockpile will be used slowly over time for maximum effect.

originally posted by: Alien Abduct
It says in the the first two sentences in the OP that her death is under a murder investigation. Did you read the OP?

I did, I just like to see evidences before assuming things.

originally posted by: DAVID64
If you stop and think, this is damn scary. Bad guy goes into a store or market, puts a drop of this on a can of soup and then someone comes along later and picks it up. The handle of a car door. A door knob. Think of all the things you touch on a daily basis.
Boom. You're exposed.

I agreed until I saw Kharron's response. Now THIS is scary!

the nerve agent would likely stick around in Salisbury for many years to come. It was “near impossible” to detect, he added; it would be hard to know where it may be lurking. “The substance can absorb itself into any soft surface, whether trees, leather, or park benches,” he said. “From there it can be absorbed onto people’s skin with all the consequences.”

a reply to: projectvxn

Who was this woman? Do you know if she was connected to government or political ties? Business or corporate connections?

Or just some poor woman in the wrong place at the wrong time?

a reply to: ArMaP

The don't open murder investigations unless they believe one has been committed.

This particular nerve agent is very rare and produced in Russia. Even if they were exposed due to indiscriminate contamination it is still an attack.

Where are all the remote viewers when you need one?!

Remember all the threads we used to have when people would say, give me a target or a name or an envelope and they will remote view?

We need one of those old members to remote view what happened here.