Top terror officer vows police will ‘get results’ in nerve agent investigation

Police will catch those responsible for the “despicable and heinous” Salisbury nerve agent attack and bring them to justice, the UK’s top counter-terrorism officer vowed today.

But Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said there could be months of “frustrating” delay before the investigation into the attempted assassination of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was concluded.

As removal vans arrived at the Russian embassy in London to prepare for the departure of the 23 diplomats being expelled, Mr Basu said: “Our job is to find the people responsible for what is a despicable and heinous activity on UK soil. We’ll find those people responsible and we’ll seek to prosecute them.”

He conceded that with the investigation in its third week, some people might find it “frustrating” that more information was not being provided about how the Novichok nerve agent was administered, but he insisted that progress was being made.

“This is a frustrating and painstaking investigation that it is going to take weeks, if not months. We are completely reliant on some brave scientific professionals and forensic officers. But we will get answers, we will get results, and we will work round the clock,” he said.

Mr Basu added that police had taken about 400 statements and had nearly 800 items and 4,000 hours of CCTV to examine. About 250 counter-terrorism officers are deployed on the case.

Mr Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, remain in a critical condition in hospital. The Government’s National Security Council met today to consider further action against Russia. The 23 Russian diplomats ordered to leave were due to depart today and ministers are examining whether to use additional measures, including sanctions and visa bans.

Immediate announcements are not expected, but Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas, to take a tough stance against the Kremlin.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed the UK in a joint statement with France and the US, pointing the finger of blame at Russia, but some German politicians suggest that Berlin should see the attack as a “bilateral” issue for Britain.

In an interview with Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Mr Johnson said: “We want to put pressure on the regime to find a new path.”

In Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s top spy, Sergey Naryshkin, accused Theresa May of “childish naivety” in claiming she can stop Russia’s SVR agency from conducting espionage against Britain.