According to the BBC, the A-234 nerve agent (Novichok) found in the house of one of the Amesbury incident victims was contained in a perfume bottle; the police, however, have refused to confirm the claim.
READ MORE: UK Police Says Found Source of Deadly Substance Used in Amesbury Incident
The media outlet cited Matthew Rowley as saying that his brother Charlie, who still remains in hospital following the alleged poisoning, had told him he had picked up the bottle.
Over the weekend, the Metropolitan Police stated they had collected more than 400 samples related to the investigation, of which a significant number “are potentially contaminated and have been submitted to DSTL [Defense Science and Technology Laboratory] labs for analysis.”
They earlier said they had found a “small bottle” during the search of Rowley’s house in Amesbury.
“On Wednesday, July 11, a small bottle was recovered during searches of Charlie Rowley's house in Amesbury. Scientists have now confirmed to us that the substance contained within the bottle is Novichok," the statement said.
They added that scientists had yet to analyze the substance to determine whether the poison was from the same batch that had allegedly been used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury four months ago.The UK police further advised locals not to pick up unknown items.
Sturgess died in the hospital on July 8, while Rowley regained consciousness on July 10, with doctors claiming he was no longer in critical condition.
Even though the UK counter-terrorism office has repeatedly admitted it had no evidence of a link between the Skripal case and the Amesbury incident, a number of high-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and Security Minister Ben Wallace have accused Russia of the poisoning. The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly denied Moscow’s involvement in both the Salisbury and Amesbury incidents.