A Russian travel company is advertising trips to Salisbury just hours after two hitmen who went there to kill a double agent claimed they were only visiting as tourists.
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov flew from Moscow to Heathrow and took the train to Salisbury where they put deadly nerve agent novichok on Sergei Skripal's door-handle before flying home, the British government says.
The pair today appeared on TV channel Russia Today to claim they are not Putin's assassins and were only visiting Salisbury to see the city's Cathedral and nearby Stonehenge.
One Russian travel company wasted no time jumping on the publicity to advertise its tours to Salisbury.
One Russian travel company wasted no time jumping on the publicity to advertise their tours to Salisbury. Pictured: The company's tweet
The unnamed company tweeted: 'The Salisbury Cathedral is beautiful this time of year! Isn't it worth the price of coming to Salisbury all the way from Moscow? Buy tickets to London right now, it's just an hour's trip away by train.'
The unnamed company tweeted: 'The Salisbury Cathedral is beautiful this time of year! Isn't it worth the price of coming to Salisbury all the way from Moscow? Buy tickets to London right now, it's just an hour's trip away by train.'
The claim by two suspects in the Skripal case that they visited Salisbury to see its cathedral 'doesn't seem to add up', the Wiltshire city's bishop has said.
Bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtam said he was not aware of any evidence linking Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov to the cathedral, and suggested that the Russian men might have benefited from a visit to the building and a viewing of its copy of Magna Carta.
Responding to the men's claims, the bishop told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It doesn't really add up, does it?'
Asked whether there was CCTV footage of them at the cathedral, he said: 'There's nothing to link (them with) the cathedral that we have got, or I think anybody has got. There's no way of proving that.'
The bishop said that his response to the men's TV interview was to think 'What a pity that they didn't spend longer in that city, where they could have explored the cathedral and seen a building that is committed to the love of God, where there is regular worship to lift our hearts, the tallest spire and a copy of Magna Carta about the rule of law and of justice. They didn't seem to see any of that, did they?'
It comes after Russian media questioned whether suspected the hitmen were travelling together because they were gay.
One online news website, Mash news, even started a poll asking readers whether the pair were 'agents made to be gays or gays made to be agents'.
The speculation began when the suspects were today asked by RT: 'Speaking about normal men, on the (CCTV) video you are shown always together. You were together, lived together, walked everywhere together. What does in fact connect you?'
Boshirov replied: 'Let's not pry into our private lives.'
Alexander Petrov, right in CCTV footage, and Ruslan Boshirov, left, were named by British authorities as the suspects but insisted they are victims of a smear and were merely on holiday
When online speculation began over their sexuality, interviewer 38-year-old Margarita Simonyan - who is head of the Kremlin 'propaganda' channel - retorted: 'I do not know if they are gays or not.
'They are quite fashionable - with little beards, hair cuts, tight pants, sweaters tight over big biceps. They did not harass me.
'Anyway I'm already out of the harassable age. Still, I poured them cognac for courage.
'During the interview I told them that the world least of all worries with the question if they slept in one bed or not.'
The pair suggested they were ordinary tourists wanting to see - among other sights - Salisbury cathedral.
The debate over their sexuality drew attention away from whether this pair were using alias names when they visited Salisbury, as Britain has argued.
Theresa May today blasted Russia's novichok assassins after they claimed to be tourists and called their story 'lies and blatant fabrication'.
The two Skripal suspects Ruslan Boshirov (left) and Alexander Petrov (right) have spoken out for the first time and say they were just tourists enjoying the delights of Salibury
Alexander Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov (right) have been accused by British police of being two Russian spies (pictured in their passport photos)
The Prime minister said the suspects, who used the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov to get into Britain, had 'insulted to the public's intelligence' and had been 'deeply offensive to victims'.
Today the suspected GRU agents, believed to be from Siberia, told state TV station RT they were stuck in Salisbury twice in two days after failing to get to Stonehenge because of snow.
In the 'absurd' interview the men even admitted they may have ended up at Sergei Skripal's suburban home 'by accident' while looking for the cathedral, which has a 400ft spire and is 25 minutes in the other direction.
The pair also refused to say why they booked into an east London hotel if they wanted to be at Stonehenge and failed to explain why they appeared to have no luggage when they travelled home.
Body language expert Judy James told MailOnline the men appeared at times to reciting 'a script' while others said their description of Salisbury and its landmarks bore a remarkable resemblance to the city's Wikipedia page.
Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT even suggested the suspects weren't trained killers - hinting they were gay lovers on a romantic break because they had 'little beards, short hair cuts and tight pants'.
The PM's spokesman said today: 'The lies and blatant fabrications in this interview, given to a Russian state sponsored TV station, are an insult to the public's intelligence, and more importantly they are deeply offensive to the victims and loved ones of this horrific attack.
During their brazen TV appearance (pictured) the men claimed they now fear for their lives and demanded an apology from Britain and RT said they were so nervous they needed Cognac before going on air
The pair claim they were only in Salisbury for an hour because of gaps in the Sunday train service to London and said if they stumbled upon Sergei Skripal's suburban house it was only by accident
Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured together in Salisbury) were poisoned with Novichok after it was smeared on his front door
One of the spies admitted they may have got lost and accidentally ended up near Skripal's house and said their trip to Salisbury as tourists was hampered by snow so they 'left early' on March 4 - the day the Skripals fell ill
Theresa May (pictured yesterday) blasted the suspects' story and called it an insult to Britain and especially the people of Salisbury
'Sadly it is what we have come to expect. An illegal chemical weapon has been used on the streets of this country, we have seen four people left seriously ill in hospital and an innocent woman has died.
'Russia has responded with contempt. The police have set out very clearly the evidence against these two men, 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 of Russia.'
Scotland Yard says it was aware of statements made 'by two men' and reiterated 'Alexander Petrov' and 'Ruslan Boshirov' are 'wanted'.
After the extraordinary interview today, it also emerged:
- Experts say there are gaping holes in their story and body language expert tells MailOnline the men appeared reciting 'guide book monologues' about Salisbury;
- PM's spokesman says that the interview is 'obfuscation and lies' to claim the suspected Russian spies went to Salisbury twice in two days as tourists;
- Scotland Yard says the suspects are still wanted - and insist the two men are using aliases;
- Two novichok suspects say they fear that British secret services may be planning to assassinate them;
- They have also accused UK police of hiding CCTV at Salisbury cathedral and other tourist spots to pin it on them;
- Russian media suggests that the men, who had 'fashionable beards' and tight trousers, may have been gay men on a long weekend to Britain rather than a murder mission;
Petrov and Boshirov said they fear British secret services has a 'bounty on our heads' and demanded an apology from Theresa May's Government.
The men told state-funded TV station RT the claims they are assassins are 'complete bulls***'.
They claim they were only in Salisbury for an hour because of gaps in the Sunday train service to London and said if they stumbled upon Sergei Skripal's suburban house it was only by accident.
Scotland Yard and MI5 say they are GRU spies sent to murder Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia after carrying enough novichok to wipe out 4,000 civilians into Britain on a plane from Russia.
But during their brazen TV appearance the men claimed they now fear for their lives and demanded an apology from Britain - RT said they were so nervous they needed Cognac before going on air.
Boshirov also denied the Kremlin has forced them to speak out and said: 'When your life is turned upside down, you don't know what to do and where to go. We're afraid of going out, we fear for ourselves, our lives and lives of our loved ones.'
While Petrov, who said he had never heard the name Skripal until Britain pointed the finger at him, replied: 'You can't imagine what it's like. We'd like if one day the real perpetrators are found and we're given an apology.'
But within minutes of their stage-managed TV appearance today it was branded 'Kremlin managed propaganda' a and the PM's spokesman called their account 'obfuscation and lies'.
Salisbury MP John Glen tweeted: 'Delighted that Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Borishov were able to see the world-class attractions that Salisbury has to offer. But very strange to come all this way for just two days while carrying Novichok in their luggage'.
Critics also pointed out the men said they failed to cope with 'slush' despite reportedly living in Siberia, where there is often snow on the ground for half the year.
Their bungled assassination attempt in March failed but tragically claimed the life of Dawn Sturgess who found the weapon three months later and sprayed it on her wrist believing it was Nina Ricci Premier Jour perfume.
But the men today described themselves as 'decent lads' working in the sports nutrition business.
They said they went to Salisbury twice in two days in an attempt to get to Stonehenge but were thwarted each time because of snow.
Boshirov and Petrov said they got 'soaked' and 'freezing' and on both visits stayed for a short period, walking a short distance and stopping for coffee, before heading back to London on the train.
But Boshirov also admitted they may have stumbled upon the former spy's suburban home - half an hour's walk from the station and away from the city centre - but only by accident.
He said: 'Maybe we did [approach] Skripal's house, but we don't know where it was located'.
Police say they went on Saturday March 3 as a dry run before carrying out the assassination attempt on Sunday March 4 and travelling back to Heathrow and a flight to Moscow that evening.
Responding to the interview of Petrov and Boshirov, a Government spokesman said: 'The Police and Crown Prosecution Service have identified these men as the prime suspects in relation to the attack in Salisbury.
'The Government is clear these men are officers of the Russian military intelligence service - the GRU - who used a devastatingly toxic, illegal chemical weapon on the streets of our country.
'We have repeatedly asked Russia to account for what happened in Salisbury in March. Today - just as we have seen throughout - they have responded with obfuscation and lies.'
The suspects insisted today that they wanted to go to Salisbury 'after a recommendation from a friend' - not to smear nerve agent on Sergei Skripal's front door.
Salisbury's MP today poured scorn on the interview and demanded to know why they were carrying novichok
Vladimir Putin, pictured at an economic forum in Russia yesterday, claims his country's authorities have found the men suspected of the Novichok attack and say their trip to Britain was not criminal
Today critics said the men were lying in an interview with a TV station often branded Putin's propaganda machine.
Salisbury MP John Glen said today: 'Salisbury welcomes tourists from around the world and is very much open for business. But the Petrov/Borishov statements are not credible and don't match the widely accepted intelligence we have on these individuals'.
Boshirov denied ever hearing the name Skripal, saying: 'I didn't know, I haven't heard - until this situation, until this nightmare with us started, I haven't heard this last name [Skripal], I knew nothing about them. We are asking for your protection'.
RT editor Margarita Simonyan, who interviewed them last night, asked the two men whether they had Novichok or any poison with them, the emphatically said no.
Boshirov said: 'Is it silly for decent lads to have women's perfume? The customs are checking everything, they would have questions as to why men have women's perfume in their luggage. We didn't have it'.
Britain insists the men were sent by the Russia state, who handed them 'perfect' aliases and ID documents used to secure UK visa.
Traces of novichok were also found in their budget hotel room in east London, where they stayed during their short trip to the UK in March.
But the men say that they are the victims of a smear campaign and were holidaymakers.
Petrov, who only a week ago said he knew nothing about Salisbury and had been in Siberia, told RT: 'We arrived in Salisbury on March 3 and tried to walk through the town, but we lasted for only half an hour because it was covered in snow'.
'Of course, we went there to see Stonehenge but we couldn't do it because there was muddy slush everywhere. We got wet, took the nearest train and came back [to London]'.
Boshirov added: 'We spent no more than an hour in Salisbury, mainly because of the lags between trains'.
The following day the returned to Salisbury again, saying it was sunny in London, but claimed they arrived in Salisbury and it started snowing again.
They said they went for a walk to the cathedral but 'left early' because they were cold and wet before returning to Russia that evening.
Assassins claim they are 'decent lads' who were on a day trip to admire Salisbury not to kill ex-spy Skripal
Ruslan Boshirov, left, and Alexander Petrov, right, claim they are the victims of a smear and suggested Britain was plotting to kill them
Europe's most wanted men spoke out for the first time today and insisted they are the victims of a smear campaign.
Here is a transcript
RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan: You called my cell phone, saying that you were Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov. You're Alexander Petrov, and you're Ruslan Boshirov. You do look like the people we saw in those pictures and videos from the UK. So who are you in reality?
Alexander Petrov: We are the people you saw.
Ruslan Boshirov: I'm Ruslan Boshirov.
AP: And I'm Alexander Petrov.
MS: These are your real names?
RB: Yes, these are our real names.
MS: But even now, frankly, you look very tense.
AP: What would you look like if you were in our shoes?
RB: When your whole life is turned upside down all of a sudden, overnight, and torn down.
MS: The guys we all saw in those videos from London and Salisbury, wearing those jackets and sneakers, these are you?
AP: Yes, it's us.
MS: What were you doing there?
AP: Our friends have been suggesting for quite a long time that we visit this wonderful city.
MS: Salisbury? A wonderful city?
AP: Yes.
MS: What makes it so wonderful?
RB: It's a tourist city. They have a famous cathedral there, Salisbury Cathedral. It's famous throughout Europe and, in fact, throughout the world, I think. It's famous for its 123-meter spire. It's famous for its clock. It's the oldest working clock in the world.
MS: So, you traveled to Salisbury to see the clock?
AP: No, initially we planned to go to London and have some fun there. This time, it wasn't a business trip. Our plan was to spend some time in London and then to visit Salisbury. Of course, we wanted to do it all in one day. But when we got there, even our plane could not land on the first approach. That's because of all the havoc they had with transport in the UK on March 2 and 3. Because of heavy snowfall, nearly all the cities were paralyzed. We were unable to go anywhere.
RB: It was in all the news. Railroads did not work on March 2 and 3. Highways were closed. Police cars and ambulances blocked off highways. There was no traffic at all – no trains, nothing. Why is it that nobody talks about any of this?
MS: Can you give the timeline? Minute by minute, or at least hour by hour, or as much as you can remember. You arrived in the UK – like you said, to have some fun and to see the cathedral, to see a clock in Salisbury. Can you tell us what you did in the UK? You spent two days there, right?
AP: Actually, three.
MS: OK, three. What did you do those three days?
AP: We arrived on March 2. We went to the train station to check the schedule, to see where we could go.
RB: The initial plan was to go there and return that day. Just take a look and return the same day.
AP: To Salisbury, that is. One day in Salisbury is enough. There's not much you can do there.
RB: It's a regular city. A regular tourist city.
MS: OK, I get that. That was your plan. But what did you actually do? You arrived. There was heavy snowfall. No trains, nothing. So, what did you do?
AP: No, we arrived in Salisbury on March 3. We wanted to walk around the city but since the whole city was covered with snow, we spent only 30 minutes there. We were all wet.
RB: There are no pictures. The media, television – nobody talks about the fact that the transport system was paralyzed that day. It was impossible to get anywhere because of the snow. We were drenched up to our knees.
MS: Alright. You went for a walk for 30 minutes, you got wet. What next?
AP: We traveled there to see Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But it didn't work out because of the slush. The whole city was covered with slush. We got wet, so we went back to the train station and took the first train to go back. We spent about 40 minutes in a coffee shop at the train station.
RB: Drinking coffee. Drinking hot coffee because we were drenched.
AP: Maybe a little over an hour. That's because of the large intervals between trains. I think this was because of the snowfall. We went back to London and continued with our journey.
RB: We walked around London…
MS: So, you only spent an hour in Salisbury?
AP: On March 3? Yes. That's because it was impossible to get anywhere.
MS: What about the next day?
AP: On March 4, we went back there, because the snow melted in London, it was warm.
RB: It was sunny.
AP: And we thought, we really wanted to see Old Sarum and the cathedral. So we decided to give it another try on March 4.
MS: Another try to do what?
AP: To go sightseeing.
RB: To see this famous cathedral. To visit Old Sarum.
MS: So, did you see it?
RT editor Margarita Simonyan tweeted today that she spent the evening with the suspects and suggested that they will deny any part in the plot
RB: Yes, we did.
AP: On March 4, we did. But again, by lunchtime, there was heavy rain with snow.
RB: For some reason, nobody talks about this fact.
AP: So we left early.
MS: Is it beautiful?
RB: The cathedral is very beautiful. They have lots of tourists, lots of Russian tourists, lots of Russian-speaking tourists.
AP: By the way, they should have a lot of pictures from the cathedral.
MS: Your pictures, you mean?
AP: They should show them.
MS: I assume you took some pictures while at the cathedral?
RB: Of course.
AP: Sure, we did.
RB: We went to a park, we had some coffee. We went to a coffee shop and drank coffee. We walked around, enjoying those beautiful English Gothic buildings.
AP: For some reason, they don't show this. They only show how we went to the train station.
MS: If you give us your pictures, we can show them. So, while you were in Salisbury, did you go anywhere near the house of the Skripals?
AP: Maybe. We don't know.
RB: What about you? Do you know where their house is?
MS: I don't. Do you?
RB: We don't either.
AP: I wish somebody would tell us where it is.
RB: Maybe we passed it, or maybe we didn't. I'd never heard about them before this nightmare started. I'd never heard this name before. I didn't know anything about them.
MS: When you arrived in the UK, when you were in London or in Salisbury, throughout your whole trip, did you have any Novichok or some other poisonous agent or dangerous substance?
RB: No.
AP: It's absurd.
MS: Did you have the bottle of Nina Ricci perfume which the UK presents as evidence of your alleged crime?
RB: Don't you think that it's kind of stupid for two straight men to carry perfume for ladies? When you go through customs, they check all your belongings. So, if we had anything suspicious, they would definitely have questions. Why would a man have perfume for women in his luggage?
AP: Even an ordinary person would have questions. Why would a man need perfume for women?
MS: Where would an ordinary person see that you have a perfume bottle?
RB: I mean, when you go through customs…
MS: Long story short, did you have that Nina Ricci bottle or not?
RB: No.
AP: No, of course not.
MS: Speaking of straight men, all footage features you two together. You spent time together, you lived together, you went for a walk together. What do you have in common that you spend so much time together?
RB: You know, let's not breach anyone's privacy. We came to you for protection, but this is turning into some kind of interrogation. We are going too far. We came to you for protection. You're not interrogating us.
MS: We are journalists, we don't protect. We aren't lawyers. In fact, this was my next question. Why did you decide to go to the media? Your photos were published some time ago together with your names, but you were keeping silent. Today, you called me because you wanted to talk to the media. Why?
RB: To ask for protection.
AP: You say we kept silent. After our lives turned into a nightmare, we didn't know what to do, where to go. Police? Investigative Committee? UK Embassy?
RB: Or FSB. We didn't know.
MS: Why would you go to the UK Embassy?
AP: We really didn't know what to do. Where to go? Hello?
RB: You know, when your life is turned upside down, you don't really understand what to do and where to go. And many say, why don't you go to the UK Embassy and explain everything?
MS: And you know what they are saying about you, right?
AP: Of course we do.
RB: Yes, of course. We can't go out on the street because we are scared. We're afraid.
MS: What are you afraid of?
RB: We fear for our lives. And for the lives of our families and friends.
MS: So, you fear that the UK secret service will kill you or what?
RB: We just don't know.
AP: Simply read what they write there. They even offer a reward.
MS: What do you mean? There's a bounty on your head?
RB: Dmitry Gudkov, if I am not mistaken, promised a trip to the UK to anybody who brings us to him. Do you think it's OK? And you think we can feel just fine, walking around all smiling, talking to people? Any sensible person would be afraid'.
Detectives believe the two suspects, thought to be aged around 40, travelled under aliases and that Petrov and Boshirov are not their real names.
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench in the centre of Salisbury on March 4 as the men flew back to Russia.
Officers formally linked the attack on the Skripals to events in nearby Amesbury where Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, were exposed to the same nerve agent.
Ms Sturgess died in hospital in July, just over a week after the pair fell ill.
A police officer who visited the home of the Skripals shortly after the attack, Nick Bailey, was also left critically ill from exposure to the substance.
Yesterday the Russian President claimed they were civilians not GRU military spies - despite Britain's evidence the men were sent by the Russian state to kill former spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Mr Putin said: 'We have checked what kind of people they are. We know who they are, we have found them. There is nothing criminal in it'.
Fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle used by Salisbury assassins was 'made by top scientists from the 'Q-ski' branch of Russia's military intelligence
Police have released images of the perfume bottle they say was adapted to help the two Russian suspects carry out their lethal attack
The Russians spent a fortune on the tiny James Bond-inspired perfume bottle used to carry novichok including developing new technology to ensure it wasn't a suicide mission for their agents, experts revealed today.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, one of Britain's top chemical weapons experts, says the fake sample vial of Nina Ricci Premier Jour could only have been produced by Putin's top scientists in their most sophisticated and top secret lab.
He told MailOnline: 'They needed to ensure that the men carrying out the attack did not kill themselves while doing it. It would be deeply embarrassing if their agents died on foreign soil'.
The two assassins, using the aliases Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, carried the bottle of Novichok into the UK unhindered before spraying it on Sergei Skripal's front door in suburban Salisbury in March.
Experts believe the botched hit came after up to three months of development and testing probably sanctioned at the highest levels of the Russian state.
The lab, branded 'Q-ski' after the research and development division of the British Secret Service in James Bond, made the bottle and 'one-way' applicator nozzle so it was impossible for novichok to leak out in transit.
It was also made of special toughened glass, plastic or ceramic sure not to smash, crack or degrade while carrying one of the world deadliest weapons.
The men at the centre of the scandal have finally admitted they were in Salisbury - days after denying it.
'No comment for the moment. Maybe later,' Alexander Petrov was reported to have told State television channel Rossiya-24.
Last week the same man had told Russian TV: 'I don't know a thing about it. And I have nothing to do with the Skripal story.'
He claimed he was the victim of mistaken identity, and denied possessing a foreign passport, adding: 'This is a complete coincidence,' he said. 'Let alone London, I can't even manage to get to the Altai Mountains (in southern Siberia).'
The other suspect, Ruslan Boshirov, also named by anti-terror police in London, had not spoken until today.
Viktoria Skripal, niece of poisoned ex-double agent Sergei Skripal, said yesterday: 'According to my information, real Alexander Petrov was not in the UK at that time. These are ordinary people. Petrov's work is even not related to the government.'
She said Petrov and Boshirov 'are in complete bewilderment and shock over what's happening.
'I knew it from the first day that this whole story about involvement of Petrov and Boshirov is fake.'
This claim appeared to contradict Putin who said the Russian government had 'found' the pair identified by Britain.
MailOnline revealed that the suspects casually window-shopped in Salisbury just minutes after they tried to murder former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
The exclusive first footage seen of the killers shows the two men looking relaxed and good-humoured as they sauntered down the street towards Salisbury station to make their getaway.
The suspects were handed genuine Russian passports and then secured visas from the British embassy in Moscow under bogus aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov to avoid detection during their murder mission in March.
Their passports were repeatedly used on trips from Moscow to Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan and Paris between September 2016 and March 2018 with British investigators now scrambling to work out exactly what the Russian spies were doing in Europe.
Petrov's passport was also used in London on February 28 2017 - a year before their botched mission to kill former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent smeared on his front door in suburban Salisbury.
The travel details have been published by Fontanka, an independent Russian media outlet with a strong track record of investigative reporting into Putin's regime.
Hamish de Bretton Gordon, one of Britain's top chemical weapons experts, told MailOnline that UK security sources have briefed him that the men, who were GRU military agents, had watertight backstories that helped them avoid being stopped at the UK border.
He said: 'The passports were perfect in every detail including all the electrics and circuitry. It fooled the British border electronic security which is considered to be among the best around. We also gave them visas they must have had a plausible back story'.
Mr de Bretton Gordon suggested that Russia may even have hacked the UK's border security system to make doubly sure they were not flagged as 'people of interest' and interviewed. The Home Office today denied this.
Security Minister Ben Wallace said Vladimir Putin is 'ultimately responsible' for the novichok attack because of his tight grip on the GRU spy network which sent two 'calamitous' state assassins on a 'pathetic' mission to kill Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
He said: 'The state had clearly decided to sit behind this action and lend its logistics. The men were given genuine passports, provided with aliases that survived a certain level of test and visas used by many law-abiding Russians to visit Britain for holidays or business.
'The Russian state, which we know had invented novichok, must have made sure it was put in a package that was there to disguise it. If you let them into your system, airside in Russia, it becomes a harder thing to detect'.
Mr Wallace said he is '100 per cent sure' the men named carried out the attack and claimed that Vladimir Putin has ultimate responsibility for the actions of his spies - but added: 'This was more Johnny English than James Bond'.
He said: 'Ultimately he does, insofar as he is president of the Russian Federation and it is his government that controls, funds and directs the military intelligence - that's the GRU - via his minister of defence. I don't think that anyone can ever say that Mr Putin isn't in control of his state'.
'A poker face and an eye flick that suggests creative thinking': Body language expert analyses novichok hitmen's extraordinary interview
Boshirov appeared agitated and stressed while Petrov was more measured in his approach
The Russian assassins appeared to be regurgitating a script and intent on fixing their 'poker faces', a body language expert told MailOnline today.
Petrov was the most controlled and calm while Boshirov shows symptoms stress or anxiety, Judy James said.
The expert has watched the RT interview back and this is what she saw:
Petrov sits slightly slumped rather than in a more alert, pleading style as you might do if you were trying to convince people of your innocent role. His arms and hands are hidden below the table. This can be used as a body version of a 'poker face', when someone is keen to hide their hands in case they give the wrong signals away, but it can also be a desire to hide and feel protected by the table barrier.
His trait of turning his chair from side to side is interesting as it could signal nervousness or it could suggest a much more controlling impatience and annoyance. His eyes remain pinned to the interviewer throughout most of the clip with what looks like a confident, piercing stare. When he closes his eyes and nods for an affirmative answer his emphatic facial gestures do suggest power rather than submission.
When we are in a state of stress or anxiety our blink rate often increases as the adrenalin of fear kicks in. Petrov's blink rate looks extremely slow here though. At one point he does almost five turns of his chair between blinks and this could again suggest inner strength or confidence.
When he is told they look nervous his upper lip seems to lift in a small snarl as though either the accusation annoys him or the fact his nerves have been prompted by events annoys him.
What were they doing in Salisbury? His eyes flick to the right which can suggest creative thinking, although he might have looked in that direction because he had known his friend was about to begin his travelogue of the beautiful sights of Salisbury on cue.
Boshirov is far more active during the clip and he also shows more symptoms of what could be nervousness. His first pose looks overall superficially more confident, sitting back in his chair with his elbows on the arms in a slight splay of control, but the movement of his upper chest suggests shallow rapid breathing that can occur when someone feels under pressure. His blink rate is also much faster than his friend's and he takes several large swallows that could also be prompted by stress or anxiety.
He swings into action when they are accused of looking 'nervous', leaning forward suddenly with both arms on the table, performing a hand-shrug before linking his fingers and forming a steeple gesture with his thumbs, which is normally a signal of power or status. Apparently frustrated, he puffs and shrugs before sitting back leaving one hand on the table.
His 'guide book' monologue about Salisbury comes after a very deep breath and a forward stare as though he's accessing an inner script in his head.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister, pictured today, reiterated claims by British authorities that the men were Russian intelligence agents and accused the Kremlin of 'lies'
A critic of Putin's regime has claimed the suspects are 'already dead' and that a search for them is futile.
Andrei Piontkovsky believes that Petrov and Boshirov could have been executed to hide traces of the crime.
He compared the case to that of Andrey Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, the men accused by Britain of poisoning Alexander Litvinenko with polonium in 2006.
Lugovoy and Kovtun went public to deny the claims soon after being accused, meaning the Russian authorities then protected them, said Piontkovsky.
'Lugovoy and Kovtun rescued themselves by running to Ecko (radio station) and going public,' the respected mathematician and political analyst said.
'One (Lugovoy) even had to be made an MP. If 'Petrov' and 'Bashirov' don't appear in the coming days, it means they are already dead.'
Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons last week that CCTV evidence 'clearly' places the two Russians in the vicinity of the Skripals' house shortly before the attack on them.
The Met Police released photographs of the elaborate ruse used by the Russian agents including a perfect reconstruction of packaging to transport the weapon
A timeline of the key developments in the Salisbury poisoning case
2010 - Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer jailed for spying for Britain, is released and flown to the UK as part of a swap with Russian agents caught in the United States. He settles in Salisbury.
March 3, 2018 - Yulia Skripal arrives at Heathrow Airport from Russia to visit her father in England.
March 4, 9.15am - Sergei Skripal's burgundy BMW is seen in suburban Salisbury, near a cemetery, where his wife and son are commemorated.
March 4, 1.30pm - The BMW is seen driving toward central Salisbury.
March 4, 1.40pm - The BMW is parked at a lot in central Salisbury.
A police officer stands guard outside the Zizzi restaurant where Sergei and Yulia had lunch before they collapsed in a nearby park
March 4, afternoon - Sergei and Yulia Skripal visit the Bishops Mill pub.
March 4, 2.20pm to 3.35pm - Sergei and Yulia Skripal have lunch at the Zizzi restaurant.
March 4, 4.15pm - Emergency services are called by a passer-by concerned about a man and a woman in Salisbury city centre.
Officers find the Skripals unconscious on a bench. They are taken to Salisbury District Hospital, where they remain in critical condition.
March 5, morning - Police say two people in Salisbury are being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance.
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was among the first police officers on the scene and was himself hospitalised
March 5, afternoon - Wiltshire Police, along with Public Health England, declare a 'major incident'
March 7 - Police announce that the Skripals were likely poisoned with a nerve agent in a targeted murder attempt.
They disclose that a police officer who responded to the incident is in serious condition in a hospital.
March 8 - Home Secretary Amber Rudd describes the use of a nerve agent on UK soil was a 'brazen and reckless act' of attempted murder
March 9 - About 180 troops trained in chemical warfare and decontamination are deployed to Salisbury to help with the police investigation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow might be willing to assist with the investigation but expresses resentment at suggestions the Kremlin was behind the attack.
March 11 - Public health officials tell people who visited the Zizzi restaurant or Bishops Mill pub in Salisbury on the day of the attack or the next day to wash their clothes as a precaution.
March 12, morning- Prime Minister Theresa May tells the House of Commons that the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
March 12, afternoon - Public Health England ask everyone who visited Salisbury town centre on the day of the attack to wash all of their clothes and belongings.
Officers wearing chemical protection suits secure the forensic tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia fell ill
March 14 - The PM announces the expulsion of 23 suspected Russian spies from the country's UK Embassy.
March 22 - Nick Bailey, the police officer injured in the attack, is released from hospital.
March 26 - The United States and 22 other countries join Britain in expelling scores of Russian spies from capitals across the globe.
March 29 - Doctors say Yulia Skripal is 'improving rapidly' in hospital.
April 3 - The chief of the Porton Down defence laboratory said it could not verify the 'precise source' of the nerve agent.
April 5, morning - Yulia Skripal's cousin Viktoria says she has received a call from Yulia saying she plans to leave hospital soon.
Dawn Sturgess died in hospital on July 8
April 5, afternoon - A statement on behalf of Yulia is released by Metropolitan Police, in which she says her strength is 'growing daily' and that 'daddy is fine'.
April 9 - Ms Skripal is released from hospital and moved to a secure location.
May 18 - Sergei Skripal is released from hospital 11 weeks after he was poisoned.
June 30 - Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley fall ill at a property in Amesbury, which is eight miles from Salisbury, and are rushed to hospital.
July 4 - Police declare a major incident after Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley are exposed to an 'unknown substance', later revealed to be Novichok.
July 5 - Sajid Javid demands an explanation over the two poisonings as he accuses the Russian state of using Britain as a 'dumping ground for poison'.
July 8 - Mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, dies in hospital due to coming into contact with Novichok.
July 10 - Mr Rowley regains consciousness at hospital, and later tells his brother that Dawn had sprayed the Novichok onto her wrists.
July 19 - Police are believed to have identified the perpetrators of the attack.
August 20 - Charlie Rowley is rushed to hospital as he starts to lose his site, but doctors can't confirm whether it has anything to do with the poisoning.
August 26 - Charlie Rowley admitted to intensive care unit with meningitis
August 28 - Police call in the 'super recognisers' in bid to track down the poisoners
September 4 - Charlie Rowley's brother says he has 'lost all hope' and doesn't have long to live.
Independent investigators, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, confirm the toxic chemical that killed Ms Sturgess was the same nerve agent as that which poisoned the Skripals.
September 5 - Scotland Yard and CPS announce enough evidence to charge Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov for conspiracy to murder over Salisbury nerve agent attack.
September 13 - Britain's most wanted men speak to RT and claim to be humble tourists
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/14/russian-travel-company-advertises-tours-to-salisbury-after-novichok-poisoning/
Main photo article A Russian travel company is advertising trips to Salisbury just hours after two hitmen who went there to kill a double agent claimed they were only visiting as tourists.
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov flew from Moscow to Heathrow and took the train to Salisbury where they put deadly nerve ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/13/20/5022EDAE00000578-0-image-a-11_1536866862358.jpg
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