Salisbury: Skripal suspects deny carrying out Novichok attack

Moscow CNN — Two Russians accused of a nerve agent attack in the UK have admitted they visited the city where the assault took place, but say the purpose of their brief trip was to visit its historic cathedral and not to poison a former double agent who happened to live there. The men, who identified themselves as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, told the Kremlin-backed RT network that the purpose of their 6,000-mile, three-day trip from Moscow was to visit the “wonderful town,” its fine cathedral with its 123-meter spire and famous clock, the “first of its kind anywhere in the world.” Far from being on a mission to kill Sergei Skripal, a former KGB agent who had ended up working for British intelligence, their intention was to visit historic sites such as the ancient stone circle at Stonehenge and the prehistoric settlement site of Old Sarum. They are wanted men and we have taken all steps to ensure they are apprehended and brought to justice in the UK if they ever again step foot outside Russia.” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt ridiculed the Russians’ claims, saying on Twitter: “The last time Russian military claimed to be on holiday was when they invaded Ukraine in 2014. British prosecutors said last week they had “sufficient evidence” to charge the two Russian nationals with attempted murder and conspiracy to murder in connection with the attack on March 4. “Maybe we did Skripal’s house, but we don’t know where it is located.” At 1:05 p.m. they were caught on CCTV on Fisherton Street in Salisbury, heading back toward the train station.