'RECKLESS ATTACK'
White House labels Salisbury hit on spy Sergei Skripal an ‘outrage’ and vows to stand by Britain
THE White House has broken its silence over the Salisbury spy poisoning, deeming it an "outrage".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the poisoning of a ex-spy Sergei Skripal “clearly came from Russia,” and vowed it “will trigger a response”.
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Yesterday Theresa May gave Russia’s Vladimir Putin 24 hours to explain the poisoning — or face the wrath of Britain.
Donald Trump's press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it an "outrage".
Mr Tillerson said in a statement: "We have full confidence in the UK's investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve agent attack.
He added: "There is never a justification for this type of attack - the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation - and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behaviour.
"From Ukraine to Syria - and now the UK - Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world.
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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
- 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
- A blonde woman with a red handbag is being hunted after being caught on CCTV minutes before the hit
- Cops say the poison may have been slipped into a gift Yulia brought from Moscow
- Spooks also believe the Russians may have had their drinks spiked in a pub or a Zizzi's restaurant
- Theresa May has vowed revenge on Putin over the 'hit'
- Russian state TV warned 'traitor' double-agents they are not safe in the UK
- It was claimed Yulia Skripal may have been poisoned after calling for Putin to be jailed on Facebook as doctors reveal her fight for life
- It was revealed Sergei's MI6 contact had links to poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko
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PM Theresa May confirms that Russia is 'highly likely' to have carried out the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury using military-grade nerve agent
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Zizzi in Salisbury closed after traces of nerve agent thought to have poisoned Sergei Skripal are found in the restaurant
"Those who committed the crime and those who ordered it - must face appropriately serious consequences.
"We stand in solidarity with our allies in the United Kingdom and will continue to coordinate closely our responses."
Earlier Huckabee Sanders told reporters at a press conference: "The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage.
'The attack was reckless, indiscriminate and irresponsible."
But she stopped short of blaming Moscow at the time.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to talk about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal until the UK gets 'to bottom of things'
Mrs May did not pull as many punches in the Commons on Monday.
Stunned MPs shouted “shame” in the Commons as she said its “indiscriminate” use in targeting former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia “put the lives of innocent civilians at risk”.
She pledged further Russian sanctions and added: “Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our country.
“Or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.”
Mrs May spoke out as investigators probing the attack in Salisbury, Wilts, descended on a village six miles away. Some arrived in protective suits and put a street in lockdown.
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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives more details about 'poisoned' MI6 spy Sergei Skripal
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It comes as Government health bosses are face a furious backlash after taking a WEEK to warn Salisbury residents that up to 500 people could face long-term health issues after coming into contact with a deadly nerve agent.
Hundreds of pub-goers and diners were urged to wash their clothes and phones after traces of the toxin were discovered in areas visited by poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
The that traces of the poison had been found at the Italian restaurant where the father and daughter had a meal before they were found unconscious last Sunday, in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
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Eyewitness describes seeing former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and a woman unconscious after they were exposed to an unknown substance
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The restaurant has been closed to the public since Sunday, with investigators in hazard gear combing key sites for clues.
Yesterday, Sergeant Nick Bailey , 38, - who fell critically ill after coming into contact with the nerve agent - said he 'does not consider himself a hero.'
Amber Rudd in Salisbury as police call in military to help investigate nerve agent attack on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal
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.
"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”.
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Russian double agent Skripal, 66, and his daughter are still fighting for their lives after being exposed to a toxic substance in the Wiltshire city last Sunday.
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.
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