Salisbury attack: Some of the theories around how Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with deadly nerve agent

As the fallout from the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia continues, so do the conspiracy theories surrounding how the attack took place.

Speculation has surrounded how the military-grade nerve agent was administered in the attack in Salisbury, which has widely been attributed to Russia.

Prime Minister Theresa May, US President Donald Trump, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron have issued a joint statement endorsing the Mrs May’s conclusion that it was “highly likely” Russia was behind the attack on the Skripals.

Moscow is expected to respond with a tit-for-tat reaction after 23 diplomats, said to be undeclared intelligence officers, were expelled from the UK.

So what are the conspiracy theories around how the Skripals were poisoned with the deadly nerve agent?

1 – The Aerosol Can

One of the first theories about how the attack was carried out was that Sergei Skripal and his daughter were sprayed with the poison as they sat on the bench where they were later found.

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were found on a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury.

2. The restaurant poisoning

As investigators looked into a restaurant and pub that the Skripals had visited in the hours before they were found, theories moved to suggesting they had been poisoned through food or drink.

The pair had visited a Zizzi restaurant and a pub called the Bishop’s Mill in Salisbury, leading people to think that their food or drink may have been laced with poison.

3. Through the letterbox

As investigations continued in the days following the attack, one theory suggested that the poison was posted through the letterbox at the former Russian double agent’s Salisbury home.

4. Sergei Skripal’s wife’s grave

As investigators cordoned off Sergei Skripal’s wife’s grave, theories emerged that a bouquet of flowers had been the vehicle for the toxin.

Both Mr Skripal’s wife Liudmila’s grave and that of their son Alexander, which are in a nearby cemetery nearby, were cordoned off by police.

The move led to speculation that a bouquet of flowers placed on the grave may have been laced with the nerve agent.

5. The BMW

Several theories emerged involving Mr Skripal’s maroon BMW, which has also been the subject of investigations.

One suggested the nerve agent had been pumped through the car’s ventilation system, while another theory speculated that the car’s door handles had been smeared with it.

6. The daughter’s suitcase

The latest theory to emerge is that the deadly toxin was somehow hidden in Ms Skripal’s suitcase and brought into the UK.

The Telegraph, attributed to anonymous sources, said intelligence agencies are working on the theory that the toxin was “impregnated” in clothing, cosmetics or a gift brought into the country in Ms Skripal’s luggage then opened in her father’s home.

(Top picture: Rex)