with mi6 that he did in return for this package.e type of work that litvinenko did in terms of his conversations with the spanish as a consultant or whatever you want to call it. yet he is now lying critically ill in a hospital in salisbury, found in a very public place. what is your sense of what has gone on? he was a man without an enormous number of connections to other people, in salisbury or beyond. and he had a small nuclearfamily. we know that his wife died in 2012 and she is buried in the uk. his son died last year, very early, but after an illness, people i speak to say they did not regard it as suspicious. but he was clearly in a vulnerable state, only one member of the family surviving, his daughter, and it seems to be the case that somebody seeing him last week came to help him out perhaps at a difficult time after several months after the loss of his son. we know that his son, although he died in russia on a holiday there, was repatriated to this country and he is buried in this country. so all kinds of possibilities th

come to the uk and continue to be under the aegis of mi6.ho was consulted the mi6 once he lived in the uk, and also with the current man who was actually convicted of treachery in russia and sentenced to long term in prison, and then released by russia, pardoned and come to come to the uk, but because of his service to mi6, mi6 had a duty of care to him which has not worked out too well. so you are saying that this duty of care that mi6 should have, they are not fulfilling it? it appears to have happened in both of these cases, yes, and that might explain why they have been so many high—level political meetings today particularly involving the foreign secretary, who is the political head of mi6. but notjust these two cases. a recent investigation suggested there are 14 suspicious deaths of russian nationals in the uk that have not been explained fully so have been put down the suicide but some believe those deaths may have been the hands of russian security services.|j deaths may have been the hands of russian security services. i am well aw

we can join our security correspondent, gordon corera, from outside mi6 headquarters. finding out how and why the skripals were poisoned? the identity of the nerve agent described as very rare is crucial. it may point to which country, which laboratory, is involved in the manufacturer. government institutions are being careful about pointing the finger at russia until the facts are clearer. in terms of why, there has been speculation that perhaps after he came here, sergei skripal was still actively involved in intelligence work i had picked up no signs of that from people i have been speaking to. there was speculation he might have been involved in the famous dossier on donald trump drawn up famous dossier on donald trump drawn up by famous dossier on donald trump drawn up bya famous dossier on donald trump drawn up by a former mi6 officer, chris steele. sources close to his companies said they had no link whatsoever with sergei skripal. that still leaves the most plausible motive as revenge, revenge for his working for british intelligence, mi6, behind me forthat wor

gordon corera outside mi6 hq in london.has been shown a video of the moment a bomb partially exploded on a tube train in southwest london. some of the passengers have been describing in court how their hair and clothes caught fire in the packed carriage last september. 30 people were injured at parsons green station. ahmed hassan, who's 18, denies attempted murder. june kelly has more. the moment when a fireball engulfed a packed train carriage. it left passengers burning and screaming in pain, the old bailey heard today. this is ahmed hassan, the teenager on trial for the attack. here shopping at asda the day before, and being asked for his id. he bought batteries and screwdrivers. hassan is an 18—year—old asylum seeker, and the following morning cctv showed him leaving his foster parents' home in sunbury, in surrey. other cameras captured his journey as he carried a little plastic bag, said to contain his bomb. at wimbledon station he went into the toilets, where it's alleged he set the timer on the device, and then he ma

we asked a former mi6 officer what they think is going on. good evening and welcome to bbc news.ould this be another example of a russian being poisoned on uk soil? the bbc understands that a man in hospital tonight, sergei skripal, a russian convicted in moscow for spying for britain and now living in the uk, is in a critical condition. he and a young woman were found unconscious on a bench in a shopping centre in salisbury. she is also critically ill. a number of locations in the city centre have been cordoned off and police in full protective gear have been using hoses to decontaminate the street. the hospital where the couple are being treated has declared a major incident. tom symonds has more. whatever happened here is now the subject of a delicate and potentially hazardous investigation. and so officers in respirators were tonight searching bins in the square where sergei skirpal and the 33—year—old woman he was with were found slumped and delirious yesterday afternoon. eyewitnesses said the pair had been sitting on a bench now covered with a police tent when it became cle

sergei skripal had been convicted in russia of passing secrets to mi6, and came to britain followingpy swap. the foreign secretary has promised a robust response if there's conclusive evidence that. a father and a daughter apparently struck down in public on a sunday afternoon in salisbury. the bbc revealed today that yulia skripal had been visiting her father sergei from russia when it happened. they were left fighting for their lives. her eyes were just completely white, they were wide open butjust white and frothing at the mouth. and the man went stiff, his arms stopped moving, but he was still looking dead straight. cctv images obtained by the bbc appeared to show mr skripal and his daughter walking together at 15:47 on sunday afternoon. they were heading for a small park surrounded by shops in the centre of salisbury called the maltings. the camera which captured these pictures is yards from where they were found. police were called at 4:15pm when people reported the pair were unconscious on a park bench. last night zizzi, an italian restaurant nearby, was sealed by police, foll

sergei skripal had been convicted in russia, 12 years ago, of passing secrets to mi6.his daughter yulia are both critically ill and military scientists are testing samples of a substance which may have caused their illness. the foreign secretary borisjohnson has promised a robust response, if there's conclusive evidence that russia was involved. our first report tonight is by our home affairs correspondent tom symonds in salisbury. a father and a daughter apparently struck down in public on a sunday afternoon in salisbury. the bbc revealed today that yulia skripal had been visiting her father sergei from russia when it happened. they were left fighting for their lives. her eyes were just completely white, they were wide open butjust white and frothing at the mouth. and the man went stiff, his arms stopped moving, but he was still looking dead straight. cctv images obtained by the bbc appeared to show mr skripal and his daughter walking together at 15:47 on sunday afternoon. they were heading for a small park surrounded by shops in the centre of salisbury called the mal

he was a high value mi6 asset. never really forgive? here's our security correspondent gordon correra. does the long arm of the kremlin reach all the way from moscow to salisbury in wiltshire? and if the attack on sergei skripal did come from russia, why? after being released from jail, skripal had spent the last eight years living quietly in salisbury, but he still had enemies. sergei skripal had been imprisoned in russia for selling secrets to british intelligence here at mi6. it was claimed he provided the identity of hundreds of russians operating undercover in europe. even though he had been pardoned as part of a spy swap his former colleagues would still have regarded him as a traitor. the fact that he blew a whole range of russian agents, there may be personal animosity there. the fact that he was a british spy, a former member of the russian military, in most russians‘ minds, it will categorise him as a traitor so there will be people who are delighted to see him dead. nobody is yet confirming moscow was in

the russians say they consider him an mi6 agent. in his poisoning. and erin, an expert we spoke to, saying this might have been a message. looking to disclose information on election hacking to think again, because russia can get to them no matter where they are and no one can protect them. >> thank you very much. a retired fbi agent disappearing 11 years ago today in iran. and tonight, his family hoping. it can detect a threat using ai, and respond 60 times faster. it lets you know where your data lives, down to the very server. it keeps your insights from prying eyes, so they're used by no one else but you. it is... the cloud. the ibm cloud. the cloud that's designed for your data. ai ready. secure to the core. the ibm cloud is the cloud for smarter business. secure to the core. if yor crohn's symptoms are holding you back, and your current treatment hasn't worked well enough, it may be time for a change. ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohn's. entyvio works at the site of i

his widow says mi6 has a responsibility to protect men like her husband. need to be sure people receiving political asylum here are com pletely receiving political asylum here are completely safe, and if they are provided this asylum, they need to be more serious, and especially now after what happened to this man and his friend or partner. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. president trump has repeated his threat to tax eu cars imported into the us. the comments come as the world trade organisation warns of the danger of a trade war, saying it could plunge the global economy into deep recession. that, however, is not the view of the president. people have to understand — our country, on trade, has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world, whether it's friend or enemy — everybody. china, russia, and people that we think are wonderful, the european union. we can't do business in there, they don't allow it. they have trade barriers that are worse than tariffs. north korea's leader is reported to have told a delegation of south

ifail to handlers in mi6. spy, would he have been permanently looking over his shoulder. a level of paranoia. members of his family died in recent yea rs. members of his family died in recent years. he seems to think that is russian involvement, as well. is that something that happens when you work in that industry? when you have worked in intelligence and you betray your country, giving over names, being involved in the spy swap, there will always be paranoia. he might have been more frightened about the circles he was moving in. it isa about the circles he was moving in. it is a question still open for debate. talking about the diplomatic situation. the police are trying to find out the substance, howard was used, white was used. that is crucial now. not just used, white was used. that is crucial now. notjust of the investigation but the uk's relationship with russia. —— how it was used. there is little to go on. my first response when i heard about the story, was the... t unit moved in quickly and his name

we re any spying activity for mi6, those were the accusations that he was jailed for in 2006.omment from the russian government, they have no information on this case, they say, the police have not engaged in that line of enquiry. there will be a very difficult details investigation going on, there is sites of enquiry. there is some cctv footage from a nearby gym that appears to show a man and a woman walking very close, just down the past here. very close to the time that the two were found. if that was so, there would be a very short period between when the couple were pictured walking down this alleyway and then being found ina this alleyway and then being found in a comatose state on a bench over there. unanswered questions, we are expecting to hear more from the police later this afternoon. we can now speak to 0leg boldyrev, who's in moscow for us. what is the response from moscow? quite little. the only person from the establishment who has spoken is the establishment who has spoken is the kremlin spokesman, dmitry peskov, he spoke to the bbc and russian media, and says

sergei skripal — a double agent who was convicted in russia of passing state secrets to mi6 — is fightingtal along with his daughter, yulia. it's still not known what caused them to collapse. but the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, has promised a robust response if there is conclusive evidence that russia was involved. with the latest from salisbury, here's tom symonds. a father and a daughter apparently struck down in public on a sunday afternoon in salisbury. the bbc revealed today that yulia skripal had been visiting herfather sergei skripal, from russia when it happened. they were left fighting for their lives. her eyes were just completely white, wide—open, butjust white, and frothing at the mouth. and then the man went stiff, his arms stopped moving. but he was still looking dead straight. cctv images obtained by the bbc appear to show mr skripal and his daughter walking together at 15.47 on sunday afternoon. they were heading for a small park surrounded by shops in the centre of salisbury, called the maltings. the camera that ca ptu re called the maltings. the camera that capture

he was convicted by a russian court of passing state secrets to mi6 but was later given refuge in britain of a prisoner swap. our correspondent has more. police are racing to establish just what happened here. last night, officers were examining the contents of a bin near to the bench where sergei skripal and a 33—year—old woman were found unconscious on sunday afternoon. a high street italian restaurant nearby was closed, the staff inside questioned. detectives are trying to piece together the events that led to the police being called out to this shopping precinct in the centre of the city. there was a couple — an older guy and a younger girl. she was sort of leant in on him, it looked at though she was passed out. he was doing some strange hand movements, looking to the sky. i felt anxious, i felt like i should step in. but, to be honest, they looked so out of it that even if i did step m, i wasn't sure how i could help. the two remain in a critical condition at salisbury hospital. sergei skripal was a former russian secret service officer, convicted of treason in 2006 after he was acc

he was in russian eyes a traitor to their intelligence service, supplying secrets to mi6.but only spent four years in prison before he was swapped out in this rather dramatic spy swap. he was pardoned at that time when he was swapped out and i think he has kept a low profile and expectation on his pa rt a low profile and expectation on his part would have been that he was safe. we do not know at this moment whether he was definitely poisoned or who did it but certainly because of this context, the suspicion will certainly be that there could've beena certainly be that there could've been a russian in this. there are links to new york, yes? i would ask you about the woman involved. what we know that her? we have had his name mentioned in her name not mentioned yet. i understand she is much younger. we don't know whether she is a relative of some type to sergei skripal and that is not clear yet. but we also know she is critically ill as well in hospital and was with him, than it appears on a park bench after members of the public saw them u nwell after members of the public

russian mi6 spy poisoned.spapers are brave journalist two, they are already starting to blame the russian. can they make it clear, vladimir putin, sally and i are wearing red in solidarity, we are being forced to do this story. i look at russia today, how are they going to defend this? are they even talking about it? they talked about it and said maybe they were taking some drugs, this couple who are now in hospital, because that is where you take your opioids. another reason they had was why would you kill a non— threat? it obviously has nothing to do with russia, things like revenge are on russian. we don't know if they are involved, we could be imagining it like election interference, it could just be somebody who decided to help vladimir putin. the broader question, which is something i put to our professor earlier on in the programme is that what does this do to the already difficult relations between the us, russia and the uk? as you mentioned, there is a whole investigation going on in the us into the p

we asked a former mi6 officer what they think is going on.

mis m15 and mi5 and mi6 m15 and mi6 cue—mac they have a discussion with the printers about various securitysh passport. this was the first british passport. this was 1921, and it came about after the conference in geneva when all the conference in geneva when all the countries after the first world war got together and discuss what they were going to do and came up with a uniform international passport design and that was the british version. it didn't significantly change after that. i remember carrying around something a little like that before the eu passport, the smaller maroon passport. this white passport stayed roughly in that design for 70 years and the blue passport did the same. it was quite a well wearing design. nowadays they change the design of the passport every ten or 15 years to keep ahead of forgery. when all this came out that we were leaving the eu and therefore getting the british passport back, they thought we we re british passport back, they thought we were going back to something like this, but it isn't. that's an awful thing to carry, you can't put it in the back p

he was actually a british spy working for mi6. what are politicians say needs to be done here?y. you heard from the senior security official in the united kingdom, and she gave very little extra detail today, really trying to say to people, less speculation, more facts, and when we have all the evidence, then we'll move and make our decision about what retaliation is required if there's a foreign power has been involved. she was clear, too, that the police officer who rushed in to help them as they lay losing consciousness on a bench sunday afternoon now named as sergeant nick bailey, recovering, now conscious, a selfless act rushing in there too, but much information is known behind me here, and the counterterrorism division took over the investigation yesterday. shortly after announcing that they had determined specifically what the nerve agent was. they have not released the information. the british government trying to keep the details to themselves as to not impede the investigation. we have heard that the victim may well have been recruited, according to the russian secur

man, this agent who was poisoned there in britain, was cultivated by britain intelligence service, mi6 1990s. the mi6 is the same intelligence service where steele came from, the man behind the trump doss r dossier, and, trump, you mentioned the russians said they were not behind this, but that does not mean that russian state media is not gloating about it. listen to what a russian anchor said on state tv today. let's listen in. >> translator: the traitor's profession is the most dangerous in the world. it is much more dangerous than being a drug courier. those who choose it rarely live in peace. alcohol and drug addiction, stress and breakdowns and depression are the occupational illnesses of the traitor, and as a result, heart attacks, strokes, traffic accidents, and finally, suicide. >> reporter: and, wolf, you already mentioned that the brits have massively expanded the number of people receiving treatment for allegedly being exposed to the nerve agent, and the brits are saying once they confirm who is actually behind this attack, there will be a robust response. wolf? >> all righ

he was accused of working for mi6. in 2010, he was flown to the u.k. as part of a spy swap deal.it was assumed he'd been given a new identity, home, and pension. this unveiled the identity of the victim. michelle: this draws comparison to another russian spy poisoned in 2006. >> is this another, this is in reference to a russian businessmen who died after drinking tea laced with poison in 2006. this was in a central london hotel. it feels likesaid dÉjÀ vu. those were her exact words. she spoke to british tv monday. it's an old-style kgb system. if there is an order to kill, somebody it will happen. husbandely believed her was actually killed on the orders of vladimir putin, something he is always denied. michelle: a piece of the washington post is looking at israel. >> the washington post is looking at a similar case affecting thousands of israelis of african origin. it's quite long, but worth the read. they are facing the prospect of being deported to their country of origin. they came illegally into israel after political conflict in sudan. they have grown up in israel. i have

he was arrested by russian secret service officers in 2004, accused of handing over state secrets to mi6. in 2006, he was convicted of by military court in moscow of but in 2010, he was pardoned by the russian authorities and came to this country in return for the release of 10 spies from the u.s. police who were at his home in cell is very -- salisbury say they are keeping anpen my. >> we have resources to unngrstand what they are fee at this time. the focus of this moment is trying top s what caused these people to become critically ill, and we are working wither partnon his sinuses. tom: they would not discuss the targetedty he w because of his past. if so, there are many unanswered questions. why did it happen in the cenr of cell is very -- salisbury in such a public area? why, and why now? tonight, sections of the city , whileremain closed off a few miles away, two people are lives infor their hospital. tom symonds, bbc news. laura: a mysterious story unfolding in the u.k. president trump is continuing to defend his new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, er talk all a possibl

tom: sergei skripainwas arrested 004, accused of spying for mi6, convicted, and in 2010, handed over to britain as part of a spy swap' sergei skripals wife, elder brother, and son have died in recent years, the family believes in suspicious circumstances. he has been living quietly here, vigilantnd fearful of russian intelligence, relatives said, but under his own name. he would not have been hard to find. tom symonds, bbc news. laura: 800 people have been killed inyr then region of eastern ghouta t in the pa weeks, according to a monitoring group. elit is the last rtronghold and is being bombarded by government forces. russia's military, which supports the syrian government, has offered civilians a safe passage out. the rebel fighters have so far rejected this proposal. our middle east editor jeremy bowen reports. jeremy: it was another day in the life and death of .stern ghouta the bbc has been following this doctor, a pediatrician, in an underground hospital through the worst days of attacks. is was filmed for the bbc. the syrian government will not allow us into the enclave. the

sergei skripal was arrested in 2004, accused of spying for mi6, convicted, but in 2010 handed over toy swap. sergei skripal‘s wife, older brother and son have died in recent years — the family believe in suspicious circumstances. he has been living quietly here, vigilant and fearful of russian intelligence, his relatives said, but under his own name. he would not have been hard to find. tom symonds, bbc news, salisbury. the russian government has vehemently denied any suggestion of involvement and promised to cooperate with the inquiry if asked. a foreign ministry spokesman accused borisjohnson of making "wild" and "preposterous" statements and the russian ambassador in london accused the british media of trying to demonise russia. 0ur correspondent steve rosenberg reports from moscow. it sounds chillingly familiar. russia under suspicion of planning and executing an attack, 2,000 miles away, in britain. in 2006, the target was former russian agent alexander litvinenko, murdered in london. the man britain believes poisoned him is andrei lugovoy. today, he dismissed claims that moscow

his family strongly condemns any accusations that sergei skripal worked for mi6.e was fabricated in russian court. they say he is the biggest patriotic person in russia. we have lost many members, one by one his wife and then rather died. some believe they died in suspicious circumstances. sergei skripal and his daughter yulia skripal is in hospital. yulia skripal is to come to visit her father regularly. recently she came to the uk to see her father and recently she came to the uk to see herfather and for recently she came to the uk to see her father and for the last two days, she was not an string. that is why relatives are worrying about yulia skripal and sergei skripal. public health england warn that people who use counterfeit xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller as a party drug are "dicing with death". our correspondent noel phillip's report does some graphic references to drugs use which you might not want children to see. we are inside a prescription drug party, the venue is a one—bedroom flat in the west midlands and these teenagers are preparing

it was in 2010 that the arrest of a network of russian agents provided an opportunity for mi6 to agentsty for m16 to repay its debt to sergei skripal. the uk asked for his name to be added to a list of prisoners the cia was putting together, and in july of that year, sergei skripal and three others were put on a jet from moscow to vienna. the ten accused by the us of espionage were flown from america and in the best cold war traditions, the two parties of spies crossed on the tarmac in austria. asked about who might have betrayed this american spy ring, president putin vented his hero. translation: traitors will keep the bucket, trust me. these people betrayed their friends, their brothers in arms. they got in exchange for it, those 30 pieces of silver. as for sergei skripal, he flew from vienna to britain where he began a life in exile. police were today securing the house in salisbury where the former russian intelligence officer has lived in recent yea rs. mark urban reporting. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. president trump has repeated his threat to tax eu cars i

of speaking about it, say for example m15 ormi6 afraid of speaking about it, say for example m15 or mi6to meet them? no, he was simply saying, i have good relations, i have good contacts, we meeting regularly, i come especially once a month to london to meet. so he didn't have any particular purpose other than just meeting colleagues oi’ other than just meeting colleagues or ex—colleagues? other than just meeting colleagues or ex-colleagues? he was speaking as if it was a meeting of friends. like military intelligence, retired, but meeting friends. and it wasn't something he had to do, he had to come every month and report to the russian embassy? if it was like this, i don't think you would speak to me like this. i can't imagine a kernel of military intelligence i have met people, colonels working the embassies, i cannot imagine a man like this speaking to me, say, for example, he went once but, you know, if it was service meetings. but nevertheless, you know, contact could be used so that is why i was relu cta nt to could be used so that is why i was reluctant to call him because with

officer in russian military intelligence but in 2004 was arrested and later convicted for working for mi60 he was and that working for m16. in 2010 he was and that over to britain as part of a spy that over to britain as part of a spy swap. the russian government says suggestions it was involved are com pletely says suggestions it was involved are completely untrue but the murder in london in 2006 former russian spy litvinenko means suspicion is almost inevitable and the ramifications are huge. if russia is behind it, they are taking this to a whole new level. it is in fact the declaration of war. experts here have been trying to work out whether toxics su bsta nces were trying to work out whether toxics substances were used to try to kill former russian agent and his daughter, now in hospitalfighting to stay alive. later we will go live to moscow talking to a journalist who has been following the story of sergei skripal since 2006. the us state department is imposing new sanctions on north korea, after formally accusing it of using a deadly nerve agent to kill kim jong—un‘s estranged bro

2010 that the arrest of a network of russian agents in the united states provided an opportunity for mi6y its debt to skripal. the uk asked for his name to be added to a list of prisoners the cia was putting together, and injuly of that year, skripal and three others were put on a jet from moscow to vienna. the ten accused by the us of espionage, among them, anna chapman, were flown from america, and in the best cold war traditions, the two parties of spies crossed on the tarmac in austria. asked about who might have betrayed this american spy ring, president putin vented his fury publicly. translation: traitors will kick the bucket, trust me. these people betrayed their friends, their brothers—in—arms. whatever they got in exchange for it, those 30 pieces of silver they were given, they will choke on them. as for skripal, he flew from vienna to britain, where he began a life in exile. police were today securing the house in salisbury where the former russian intelligence officer has lived in recent years. mark urban reporting. dr michael carpenter is former deputy assistant secretary of

sergei skripal was convicted by a russian court of passing state secrets to mi6, but was later givenin britain as part of a prisoner swap. leila nathoo reports. police are racing to establish just what happened here. last night, officers were examining the contents of a bin near to the bench where sergei skripal and a 33—year—old woman were found unconscious on sunday afternoon. a high—street italian restaurant nearby was closed, the staff inside questioned. detectives are trying to piece together the events that led to the police being called out to this shopping precinct in the centre of the city. there was a couple. an older guy and a younger girl. she was, sort of, lent in on him. it looked like she had passed out, maybe. he was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky. ifelt anxious. ifelt like i should step in. but, to be honest, they looked so out of it that i thought even if i did step in, i wasn't sure how i could help. the two remain in a critical condition at salisbury hospital. sergei skripal was a former russian secret service officer, convicted of treaso

this week, russia's foreign ministry said mi6 may have targeted the skripals.ing the west a diplomatic war could spark military conflict. this is not the way to a solution, it is the way to help. if you have not so many that at matters you have, you have a lack of information, a lack of trust. you can react in this or that way in the wrong way from the wrong point of view, and this is the way to help. the west believes it will send a strong message to moscow over salisbury. the russians have their own message for the west: don't push russia. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. australia's disgraced cricket captain, steve smith, has broken down in tears as he apologised to his country, his fans and his family for his role in the ball tampering scandal. he and two other players have all been given lengthy bans after it was caught on camera. australia's coach darren lehmann, who was cleared of any wrongdoing, also broke down shortly afterwards as he announced he was quitting. just a warning, joe wilson's report contains flash photography from the start. steve smith

skripal had beenjailed in russia for passing secrets to mi6.oscow correspondent steve rosenberg has been speaking to some of those who knew skripal in his previous life. piece by piece, a picture is emerging of sergei skripal, the former russian double agent poisoned in britain. vladimir svyatski knew sergei skripal in the late 1960s. they studied together in a military college. translation: he was very active, with a positive attitude, and creative. a realfriend. many of the students looked up to him. oleg ivanov worked with sergei skripalfor two and a half years in the moscow regional government after skripal had retired from russian military intelligence. translation: sergei was the life and soul of the party. he could find a common language with anyone. all his colleagues respected him. so when he was arrested for spying it was a real shock. today russia's foreign ministry responded to claims that moscow had targeted sergei skripal. this was provocation, it said, and an anti—russian campaign. unfortunately we regard this as a piece of disin

he was arrested by russian secret service officers in 2004, accused of handing over state secrets to mi6 2006, he was convicted by a military court in moscow of high treason. but in 2010, he was pardoned by the russian authorities and came to this country in return for the release of ten spies from the us. police who were at his home in salisbury today said they are keeping an open mind. we have access to a wide range of resources and services that are helping us to understand what we are oi’ helping us to understand what we are orare helping us to understand what we are or are not dealing with at this time. the focus at this moment is trying to establish what cause these people have —— to become critically ill and we people have —— to become critically illand we are people have —— to become critically ill and we are working with partners to prioritise this diagnosis. they would not discuss the possibility that he was targeted because of his past. if so, there are many unanswered questions. why did it happen here in the centre of salisbury in such a public area? how was he targeted? the

names, addresses and code names of several dozen russian agents to the british security service to mi6. many were deep-cover spies in britain and europe. a newspaper in russia reported at the time that his conviction was announced, they reported at the time that his convection was announced in 2006. the sfv considered the dam age e had done was comparable to the damage done by oleg penkovsky. this guy that they picked off 40 years later was considered to have done comparable damage to this guy from the cuban missile crisis. all right, now that is a very dramatic assertion. and it may be overstated. after all, when they got oleg penkovsky, they convicted him and shot him, killed him in prison. when they got the next guy in 2004, they also arrested him, charged him with treason and convicted him, but they didn't kill him. they didn't execute him. they sentenced him to 13 years. he didn't serve out that time. in 2010 he was traded in a western spy swap. he and others were swapped for ten russians who had been operating an undercover spy ring in the united states. ultimately, he went to li

they believe that he was recruited by mi6 sometime in the 1990s and worked for them for a long time tillwas arrested and later key ported back to the uk here by the russians. at the same time, you have them gloating about what happened. let's listen in to what that russian tv anchor said about this man who was poisoned. let's listen in. >> translator: the traitor's profession is one of the most dangerous in the world. according to statistics, it is much more dangerous than being a drug courier. those who choose it rarely live in piece to a venerable old age. alcoholism, drug addiction, severe nervous breakdown and depression are the occupational illnesses of the traitor. as a result, heart attacks, strokes, traffic accidents, and finally, suicide. >> and this we have to keep in mind comes as the russians are saying they have absolutely nothing to do with this. they say they want more information from the uk. you know, the wife of another spy killed by the russians alexander litvinenko, she's come forward and demanding the brits do more to protect former russian spies living in the united

official response that this is the west plotting against putin, and that is why they killed this guy, mi5 mi6y, that is what they said about alexander litvinenko as well. the other half russians will think that it serves the traitor right. what are the lessons you took from the alexander litvinenko case as to how britain should respond to something like this happening on its soil? if it does turn out to have a russian connection, it is outrageous. too big to ignore and yet it is hard to know what to do? well, it is a strong sense of deja vu. for ten years the british government refused to admit that the alexander litvinenko murder was a state—sponsored crime. up to the very public enquiry which happened in 2016, ten years after his death, they maintained this is a regular criminal matter. the moment an english judge ruled it was state—sponsored murder in all probability ordered by putin, david cameron went on tv and said, "we knew it from day one." there were trying to keep it quiet, not to annoy putin. and they invited other attacks like this. if the response now will be the same, only words

formerjihadist who infiltrated al qaeda who spied on the group for the secret intelligence service, mi6choice of the date? well, i mean, that is rather shocking, and most likely speaks volumes of how he viewed that particular anniversary. so, most likely, he thought it was a joyous day. he is not the only one, u nfortu nately day. he is not the only one, unfortunately there are legions of people who believe it was a joyous day. from 2005 - 2009, he spent time in saudi arabia teaching english, first in yambu, then at the government's aviation school in jeddah. he knows some of his stu d e nts jeddah. he knows some of his students from those days. they are in our profession is in the aviation industry in saudi arabia, some of them. they describe someone who was more on the path of radicalism, in a sense. he was serious. more on the path of radicalism, in a sense. he was serious. he was not someone who described the society as a true islamic society. he would say there are many things that were wrong, especially the path they are taking in terms of modernity. when he was living injeddah, b

he was the top russia specialist for mi6. the accomplish intelligence ministry.rime ministers and cabinet ministers but he did have this extensive network in russia. he had produced reports that were viewed as reliable by the fbi and the state department and he's hired to go out and look at trump's ties to the -- to the creme lkremlin and what the kre up to. he comes back with a report that is called raw intelligence. some of it, in broad strokes, have turned out to be on target. there was, indeed, a kremlin influence opposition. they were targeting it. there are details that have not been confirmed and that were salacious and has given the opportunity for critics to go after. but if you want to understand how it all came about and who the players were, we lay it out in great depth. >> mike isikoff, we appreciate you being here. thank you so much. >> sure enough. >> the book is "russian roulette." >>> breaking news this hour. sources tell cnn sweden is help to negotiate the release of three americans being held prisoner in north korea. we have a live report for y

he was a military intelligence officer who had been secretly supplying mi6 with information and was convictedison he was pardoned and was able to fly to britain as part of a spy swap. but that was never a guarantee he would be safe here. the fact that he was a british spy, a former member of the russian military in most russian‘s minds actually, he would be categorised as a traitor. so yes there would be people there who will be delighted to see him dead. from the kremlin today a guarded response. it said what had happened was a tragedy and it was open to co—operating with the british authorities. but for many russians living here in the uk who oppose the kremlin, it has been clear for a long time that they are vulnerable and they want greater protection. we need to be sure people recieving political asylum here are completely safe and the state providing this asylum need to be more serious and in particular now after what happened to this sergei skripal and his friend or partner. meanwhile, back in moscow, vladimir putin is almost guaranteed to win yet another term in office in the president

vladimir putin himself will stop we have completed 14 cases where evidence points to russia, and we know mi6t has not been front—page news in the way that this is, almost immediately. that's right, and the difference is that the british police have come out and made a statement saying this is a major incident, and that they are treating this very seriously. now thatis treating this very seriously. now that is very different from the other 14 cases we have looked at. saint litvinenko, they have not been a russian suspected assassination that the blues have made any statement about at all, and in the 14 cases we have looked at those overwhelming evidence pointing at russia, that in all those cases the police have publicly said they are not suspicious, despite what we know of existing evidence connecting back to russia. there has been a change in steptoe, the authorities have come out and confronted the russian link. what we can say is that the relationship between the uk and russia is it a pretty low ebright 110w. russia is it a pretty low ebright now. there is growing concern in british gover

republican party, people in congress and elsewhere -- is an honest intelligence officer who's worked for mi6 worked for moscow for three years on the ground. and now he's in private business. and he was hired first by a republican entity, and then, it switched over to the democrats. so this was a -- nobody is claiming that this dossier is 100% true. it may even be, seth, that that scene in the hotel room that sean hannity has -- >> seth: obsessed with? >> discussed more than one or two times, who knows? and he does not present it as absolutely solid. but is raw intelligence that is proving each month to be more and more reliable as the facts accumulate. >> seth: as someone who's spent as much time in russia as you did, and i know you were there for the fall of communism and -- so there was this dawn of maybe this was going to be a different thing. >> there's going to be democracy and it's going to be fantastic. >> seth: but with -- yet, you kind of saw how quickly that wasn't going to work. are you surprised by any of this? or is this whole story about russian meddling very in line with what

. >> you have to remember that steele was at mi6, the secret intelligence service of great britain for about 20 years and his expertise was in russia. so he knows this kind of technique, and he understands how russia works and how their intelligence system works and so this is somewhat familiar to him. and he's looking at this pattern and thinking watch out. oh, my gosh. you know, they're really trying to sort of seduce and the people around him. >> jane maier, it's an amazing piece in the new yorker. best thing i've seen written been christopher steele, at the center of all this. thanks for being with me. >> great to be with you. >> even more breaking news tonight. this happened five minutes before we went on air. stormy daniels is suing the president of the united states. that story is next. i'm leaving the track behind, but i'm not standing still... and with godaddy, i've made my ideas real. ♪ i made my own way, now it's time to make yours. ♪ everything is working, just like it should ♪ >>> breaking news this very hour. nbc news reporting tonight adult film actress stormy daniels is

and harry ferguson, a former mi6 officer. matthew dean, why did it take so long to warn people?ion was that the original speculation was that the casualties had taken a heroin substitute. it took some days for public health england to ascertain it was a nerve agent, and then some further science has been done and theyissued further science has been done and they issued this very much precautionary advice yesterday, saying that only if you were in the mill pub or zizzi's restaurant on sunday or monday, you may wish to wash your clothes to eliminate any possible long—term risk of public health contamination. you don't think the warning... without exposure you have no risk whatsoever. if you are in the city going about your normal business, there is no risk. why didn't the warning, earlier? we knew earlier in the week it was a deadly nerve agent, potentially? well, we could only go on what doctorjane harries, the deputy public health director of public health england, said yesterday. she said in her statement that the reason the advice was forthcoming yesterday was because they had

what is quite clear is that the mis, mi6, the up until now.reign ministries, the governments, the leaders of all leading countries in the west, and most of the rest of the eu, for example. everybody believes it was russia who did it and they are acting accordingly. tony, thank you very much, and thank you forjoining us. very much, and thank you forjoining us. pleasure. 0n us. pleasure. on that story we are hearing that sweden has sent one russian diplomat home, and given them a week to leave. another story we have covered throughout the day on bbc news, the continuing travails of facebook. the us federal trade commission hasjust said it has an open nonpublic investigation of facebook‘s privacy practices, so a nonpublic investigation has been launched into how facebook has been operating. 0bviously how facebook has been operating. obviously it is all to do with the cambridge analytica scandal. the us government now appears to have opened any querrey, which it says at this stage is nonpublic. we will bring you more on that as we get it. let‘s ge