Russia spy: Hero policeman poisoned by nerve gas assassination attempt wakes from coma
A HERO policeman in hospital after attending the scene of the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has woken from his coma and is "talking and is engaging" in hospital, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has revealed.
Met Police: Russian spy poisoning treated as ‘attempted murder’
This morning the policeman poisoned by the nerve agent awoke from a coma after he was contaminated by the toxin and rushed to hospital.
Police have said the unnamed officer, who was one of the first on the scene, is in a serious condition but not in intensive care.
Ms Rudd told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I've spoken to Mark Rowley this morning. The two targets are still in very serious condition, the policeman is talking and is engaging so I'm more optimistic for him, but it's too early to say. This is a nerve agent, we are still treating it as very serious."
WHO IS HERO POLICEMAN NICK BAILEY?
Asked if she was hopeful for the police officer, she added: "Indeed, hopeful, but it's still very serious."
Speaking in the Commons this afternoon she said her thoughts were with "all three victims" and revealed the incident was being treated as attempted murder.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said this is being treated as a “major incident involving attempted murder by administration of a nerve agent”, with Mr Skripal and his daughter Julia remaining in a critical condition.
The head of counter-terrorism
He said: "Having established that a nerve agent was the cause of the symptoms, leading us to treat this as attempted murder, I can also confirm that
"Our role now of course is to establish who is behind this and why they carried out this act."
Mr Rowley added hundreds of detectives, forensic officers and analysts are working around the clock on the case.
Although the alert has not been declared as a terrorist incident, the investigation is being led by the national counter-terrorism police network.
Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, said the incident posed a “low risk” to the public, adding that all the sites both were known to have visited have been “secured”.
Scotland Yard said detectives were “keeping an open mind on what happened” and that the situation has not been declared as a terrorist situation.
Skrpial and his daughter Yulia were specifically targeted with a nerve agent
This is a major incident involving attempted murder by administration of a nerve agent
Police are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area on Sunday afternoon, particularly those who ate at Italian restaurant Zizzi or drank at the Bishop’s Mill pub between 1pm and 4pm.
Earlier today, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said police must respond to “evidence, not
"We must let the police carry on their work, they will share what they can but I'm sure there will be more updates as the investigation continues.
"This is likely to be a lengthy and ongoing process.
"We need to keep a cool head and make sure that we collect all the evidence we can, and we need to make sure that we respond, not to
Investigators next to a police tent outside the mill pub
Today police teams could be seen carrying equipment out of three parked vans into the home of Mr Skripal from around 5.40pm.
A yellow tent was erected outside the house at around 6pm.
Nerve agents, which are chemical weapons, have been used in assassinations and attacks in war zones in recent years.
Kim Jong Un's half-brother Kim Jong Nam was killed at an international airport in Malaysia last year in an attack using a nerve agent known as VX.
Yulia Skripal remains in a critical condition in hospital
Theresa May, echoing Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, confirmed during Prime Minister's Questions the Government will look at whether ministers and dignitaries should attend the World Cup in Russia if investigators find links to the Kremlin.
Mr Johnson noted that the case had "echoes" of the death of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident who was fatally poisoned in London in 2006, and said the UK would respond "robustly" if it there was state involvement.
The Russian embassy said it was "completely untrue" to suggest the country's special services were involved and criticised Mr Johnson for speaking "in such a manner as if the investigation was already over".
As police confirmed the use of nerve agent, a royal source said Prince William, who is also president of the FA, will not attend the Russian World Cup.