Two Russian nationals accused of conspiracy to murder Skripals
Novichok poisoning prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov with conspiracy to murder former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury with Novichok nerve gas last March. They say the two accused may have been traveling under aliases and not their real names. The pair is accused of using a counterfeit Nina Ricci perfume bottle from which to smear the poison on the door of Skripal’s home in Salisbury, having carried it into the UK on a flight from Moscow. CCTV images showed the men arriving at Gatwick from Moscow at 3pm on Friday March 2, two days before the Skripals were poisoned, and traveling to Salisbury – apparently for reconnaissance. The UK has not asked for their extradition, since Moscow refuses to extradite its own citizens, but European arrest warrants have been issued for their detention if they travel again. If brought to trial in Britain, the two Russians face charges of attempted murder and breaching the chemical weapons act.