Cop who found Russian spy insists he was ‘just doing his job’ as police say they have 200 witnesses

THE police officer left in a critical condition by a nerve agent used on a Russian double agent has said he 'does not consider himself a hero.'

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey said he was part of a group of officers who were called to The Maltings in Salisbury, Wilts, after Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia were discovered in a 'catatonic' state.

DS Bailey, 38, who was later admitted to hospital in a coma, but is now awake and talking again, said he was 'merely doing his job.'

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: "Nick would like us to say on his behalf that he and his family are hugely grateful for all the messages of support from the public, and colleagues from the police family.

"People have been so kind and he has expressed that he will never forget that kindness.

"He wants to say that he does not consider himself a ‘hero’, he states he was merely doing his job.

Counter terrorism police investigating the suspected nerve agent attack have identified over 200 witnesses and are looking at more than 240 pieces of evidence, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.

Following a meeting of the government’s Cobra committee, she said there were more than 250 counter terrorism police involved in the investigation which was proceeding with “speed and professionalism”.

Wiltshire residents were left "terrified" as hundreds of soldiers and chemical warfare specialists stormed their peaceful town to probe Russian spy Sergei Skripal's poisoning.

Around 200 troops, many in biohazard suits, were deployed at key locations all over Salisbury including the double agent's home and Zizzi's restaurant where Skripal ate his last meal.

Striking photographs emerging from the city capture the specialist teams putting hazmat suit's on at the London Road cemetery, and pounding the streets.

Officers were also pictured placing a blue forensic tent over Skripal's son's memorial stone before appearing to stuff items in several yellow barrels.

Russian double agent Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia are still fighting for their lives after being exposed to a toxic substance in the Wiltshire city last Sunday.

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was part of the initial response by authorities, is also in a serious condition.

What we know so far:

• Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury on Sunday
• Police say they were deliberately targeted with a rare nerve agent
• Cops cordoned off his house and the grave of his wife and son fearing others could be exposed to the poison
• A number of floral tributes have been removed from the graves and taken for testing
• Around 180 military personnel - including chemical weapons experts - have been deployed to Salisbury to help police in their investigations
• Cops say the poison may have been slipped into a gift Yulia brought from Moscow
• The first Wiltshire cop on the scene is also ill in hospital - but hopes were raised for his recovery now he is awake and talking 
• Theresa May has vowed revenge on Putin over the 'hit'
• Home Secretary Amber Rudd is currently chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra committee
• Russian state TV warned 'traitor' double-agents they are not safe in the UK
• It was revealed Sergei's MI6 contact had links to poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko

Suspicion is mounting that Russia carried out the attempt on their lives as an act of revenge against the former intelligence officer, who was convicted in 2006 of selling state secrets to MI6.

The Kremlin denies responsibility and British ministers have urged caution over apportioning blame until the facts become clear.

Local butcher David Bayfield, who runs a businesses close to where the Skripal's collapsed, told the he and his fellow residents are "fed up of being kept in the dark".

Window installer Tony Curnock compared this week's scenes to a "disaster movie".

Salisbury's MP John Glen attempted to reassure his constituents that a "whole range of tools are at our disposal" once it is established who was behind the incident.

The grave of Mr Skripal's wife Liudmila, who was buried in 2012, and the memorial stone of his son Alexander, who was cremated last year, were cordoned off at the London Road cemetery.

Teams of officers removed items from Alexander's grave amid fears it could have been "booby-trapped", the Daily Star reported.

Apparent fears of chemical contamination have also seen Mr Skripal's home cordoned off while detectives attempt to pin down the origins of the substance used to incapacitate him.

A short distance away, a convoy of military vehicles rolled into the car park at Salisbury District Hospital to recover a police car.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra committee at 3pm on Saturday to receive updates on the police case, Downing Street confirmed.

Images which have emerged from the fast-moving investigation comes hours after it was revealed Skripal was a highly valued MI6 spook codenamed 'Forthwith' who sold Moscow's secrets for years.

Skripal's primary mission was to syphon secrets to British intelligence - including an entire telephone directory of Russian spies,  claims.

He is said to have shared information with with MI5 and other allies including the CIA, which undermined a key sector of Russian intelligence as Putin was on the rise.

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