Russian Spy Poisoning Brings £48 Million Reward For Porton Down

originally posted by: dragonridr
a reply to: Kester

Please someone explain why Russia would use a nerve agent instead of causing an accident? Seems odd Russians would use something that could be traced to them instead of just killing him during a mugging. Or even a hit and run with a car why do something that is difficult to deny?

Russia likes to do things blatantly to send messages.

They could have been sneakier about Alexander's death in 2006. They could have gone about Crimea differently.

Either way you cut this story it's going to be odd.

I love the notion that it's silly or completely illogical to think it's Russia. As oppose to what? The US or the UK? And why would they do it, tons of theories there, but they're just that.

Alleged Russian Hit in Guernsey


This was done in January over here and there's still an active inquiry into what happened and whether Russia was involved, this is the style of hit I'd expect, chemical weapons usage seems a bit over the top, but what do I know..

However, I hope whoever the culprit of the attack was gets caught and whoever else was involved is held accountable.

a reply to: Kester


It is interesting that such an attack would come in a location so close to the UK chemical weapons research station, Porton Down.

The history that the town of Salisbury has, in terms of its having been experimented on by the operators of the research branch at Porton Down in the past, and its close proximity to the installation, casts a muddy light on this situation. Looking at this from the perspective of the British government, if there were to be a chemical attack on the people of this country (which, regardless of the identity of the primary target, this most certainly qualifies as), the ideal place for it to happen is somewhere close to the resources they would want to deploy, to combat the threat represented by it. This occurring so close to Porton Down, means that even in the event of a wider spread assault, the best resources we have as a nation to deal with it, would have been right on top of the exposure site, able to immediately respond to the situation if necessary.

It would be like a person starting a fire right across the street from the fire station, or a thug performing a mugging outside the police station. If the intention of the perpetrator is to cause harm, it would make more sense for them to do their business further away from the resources which might best foil their plans, or limit the effectiveness of their plans.

But no, this man was poisoned within easy reach of the nations foremost experts in chemical and biological warfare, the only people in the country who could be expected to step in to positively effect this specific situation. Surely some other method of assassination would have been more... effective in this instance? Deaths made to look like accident or suicide would be preferable, surely, to attacking a man with a nerve agent, right on the doorstep of the people who could most effectively prevent his death? You don't shoot a man with a pistol when he is sat within a battle tank, and you do not attack a man with nerve agent, right on top of a chemical weapons research laboratory. It makes very little sense, as operations go.

Some might say "Well sure, but it sends a heck of a message!". It does, but at this stage the message is simply that this was a messy, unprofessionally organised hit, using a method ill suited to the situation, which has failed to kill its target as of yet, had collateral effects, and has attracted an awful lot of negative attention toward the assumed perpetrator, or at least, the nation from which they allegedly came.

And again, I keep coming back to this:

North Korea, by all measures a pisspot of a dictatorship, full of starving citizens, technologically backward, an unsophisticated place, run by unsophisticated people, successfully killed a target using VX nerve agent, with, as far as I am aware, no collateral deaths or even exposure related injuries, and the target died within hours of exposure. North Korea is as nothing when compared to Russia, a blip, a gnat in the presence of elephants. Russia, of the two nations mentioned, should have been able to reach out and kill Skripal without the slightest concern that he would survive even a day. But he was poisoned what... eleven days ago now?

His condition remains critical, so he may well die. But he yet lives.

Something does not add up in the slightest about all this. The timing, the location of the hit, the fact that the hit has thus far failed, despite being allegedly carried out by agents of one of the most powerful nations, operatives of one of the most potent intelligence agencies on the face of Earth, a nation which has historically employed only the most predatory, dangerous and effective killers trained anywhere in the world...

There is something off about this situation. Its all so muddy at the moment, the picture confused, all the data coming out of anywhere is spun, biased, potentially untrustworthy. Time, I feel, will be the only thing which provides clarification on this, and I have a nasty feeling that someone, somewhere, is relying on that for some reason. I just cannot put my finger on why.

You'd think that if this were the case, there would be some defect agents spilling beans on why they need to clean house.
a reply to: purplemer

a reply to: TrueBrit

Well, that's the best worded argument/food for thought on questioning the narrative I've seen.

I don't see anything wrong with this.

I would probably be more surprised if the UK didn't invest in some funding for protection against these types of attacks by investing more money into Porton Down.

originally posted by: oldcarpy
a reply to: Zcustosmorum


They are being as transparent as they can be given that this is an ongoing Police investigation.

Yeah, would've thought that the Tories could at least hold their forked tongues until the evidence is conclusive and not just start blaming and accusing through the media using terms such as "highly likely"

Ahh ok I understand the Salisbury chemical attack is now a political football and depending what side you support the instigators of this incident differs

originally posted by: Whereismypassword
Ahh ok I understand the Salisbury chemical attack is now a political football and depending what side you support the instigators of this incident differs

You mean anything with the word Russia in it.

I usually post the things I do on my own thread but I decided to post it on a thread pertaining to the subject.

Here's what I get: H.C, a man using his credit card, the word "Osyris" and an image of a Computer part size of a small graphics card.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

I appreciate your saying so.

In the early days of this ongoing incident (I say ongoing, because the medical ramifications of the attack have not yet worked themselves out), I was, like everyone else I suspect, simply shocked at what appeared to be a chemical attack on my countries soil, and on my countrymen. It is not just Skripal and his daughter who have been effected by all of this after all, although their condition is the most serious at this point.

But as more detail becomes available, and as my mind climbs down from the immediate reaction to the fact of the event, I cannot help but examine the thing on its merits, and I find myself concerned about the solidity of the narrative as it stands. If I, a man without experience in orchestrating a successful assassination, can think of many more effective, more situationally appropriate, more immediate ways to get the thing done, then it stands to reason that someone trained for years to end people on behalf of their government, would also be able to see the tactical and strategic flaws in the design of the plan which we are being fed.

a reply to: TrueBrit


The simple explanation is that the guy lives in Salisbury.

Also, why did the FSB poison Litvinenko with a radioactive substance, Polonium, rather than shoot him or make it look like an accident?

They are sending a message to anyone thinking of ratting on Putin.

a reply to: TrueBrit


Also, even though it seems that it is obvious that it was Russia, the very fact that so many people are questioning this because it seems to obvious seems to be working out quite well for them.

a reply to: TrueBrit

It is not just Skripal and his daughter who have been effected by all of this after all, although their condition is the most serious at this point.

Not that I'm humoring all angles, I think the above feeds the biggest question I've had.

30~ citizens have also or are being treated, one being a police officer . Yet the media and more importantly the government focuses on Skripal. It's almost like the language is geared to focus on the motive the whole time.

Rather odd if you ask me. Usually when a country experiences an attack, they focus on the damage rather than motive.

a reply to: CriticalStinker


Of course the focus is on Skripal, no one thinks that the Police Officer was the target.

originally posted by: oldcarpy
a reply to: CriticalStinker


Of course the focus is on Skripal, no one thinks that the Police Officer was the target.

I bet most people don't know so many civilians were effected.

Its just odd.

a reply to: Whereismypassword

I disagree.

This incident must not become a political football for any reason. It is a very serious situation, involving some of the most deplorable weapons known to exist in the world, international implications which only grow more serious as time wears on, and has the lives of human beings, hanging in the balance, both the immediate victims of the attack, and indeed the lives of those who might be caught up in the worst case aftermath.

Cold, dispassionate examination of the situation, without bias, is absolutely paramount, because it is the only way to ensure that ones willingness to accept what one is told, has more to do with the evident truth of what one is told, than it does with who is doing the telling.

a reply to: DreamerOracle

Harris dot com. H.C.

OSYRIS is an integrated suite of arrival, departure and flow-management software that allows resources to be used flexibly, reduces workload and manages queues safely and efficiently in today's crowded air traffic environment.

www.harris.com...
The credit card is how the nerve agent is spread through an ATM near the queue.

That could be the next hit.


The computer part is probably the covert drone used to administer the nerve agent in Salisbury.
Flown straight from Porton Down.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

We do in Salisbury and it’s a rather staggering amount that we’re around the bishops mill pub

I have heard up to 500 people could have come in contact with this chemical in any slight way, that is of course the responders and then hospital staff and local people

There is an ongoing investigation and they are being tight lipped due to this


I’m just hope the dads army response team have looked into the possibility he filled his car up with fuel before parking near the maltings that day

they are ill equipped to deal with this and it shows

a reply to: oldcarpy

At the moment though, as I said, the only message that is being heard right now, if you really think about it is:

Damn... Russia is bad at assassination.

Its not very professional at all, to use a method which attracts this much attention to the perpetrators. It is not professional or competent to deploy a chemical agent and fail to relatively immediately kill the target. It is not a sign of the effectiveness of Russias spy killers, to have such a circus be erected around the results of their work.

The people who would be the recipient of any message being sent by the death of spies, would receive the message just as well if Skripal had died in a car crash caused by nefarious means, or fallen down the stairs and broken his neck, or apparently offed himself, as they have through this... means of communication, shall we say. So what benefit to it is there? The man is not yet dead, and anyone who has survived chemical attack for this long, has to have a better than zero chance of pulling through, making the entire event a total cockup, rather than a firm foot being put down by Putin.