"Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) network, who are investigating the Novichok attack in Salisbury, have confirmed that traces of the nerve agent have been found in a blood sample which was taken at the time from a second police officer," the Metropolitan Police said in a press release.
The statement added that the police officer did not wish to be identified and that, at the time of the incident, he was exposed to a small amount of the nerve agent, for which he received treatment and recovered.
Forensic analyses of the officer's blood sample were taken at the time of the incident and carried out as part of London's ongoing investigation into the case.
On August 7, the Guardian reported that British police were investigating whether Russian President Vladimir Putin could have been involved in the assassination attempt on Skripal by approving a plan to eliminate him. However, according to the deputy head of Scotland Yard, Neil Basu, British law enforcement authorities have examined many hypotheses, but do not have evidence to make such allegations.
Next day, the Russian Embassy in the UK stated that the UK authorities were disseminating misinformation about the Salisbury incident through the media, hiding details of what happened.
In March 2018, Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury. London claimed they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and accused Moscow of staging the attack. Moscow has repeatedly refuted all accusations.
