Skripal Novichok attack suspects say they only visited Salisbury to see the cathedral and Stonehenge

Two Russians suspected of poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia have sparked ridicule by claiming they only went to Salisbury to "visit the wonderful city" as tourists.

Identifying themselves as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, named by British prosecutors as the attempted murderers, the men confirmed they were in Salisbury before the Skripals fell critically ill from ingesting nerve agent Novichok.

In remarks branded "laughable" by British MPs, Mr Petrov told Russian channel RT: "Yeah that's us. Our friends had been suggesting for a long time that we visit this wonderful city."

"There’s the famous Salisbury Cathedral, famous not only in Europe but in the whole world. It’s famous for its 123-metre spire, it’s famous for its clock, one of the first-ever created in the world that is still working," added Mr Boshirov.

Two men who identified themselves as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov 
RT

Mr Petrov claimed they planned to visit Stonehenge but, because of cold weather there was "muddy slush everywhere...we got wet, took the nearest train and came back [to London]," he said.

"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," he added.

Mr Boshirov said they only spent an hour in the city, adding that if they passed close to the home of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, it was a coincidence. "Maybe we did [approach] Skripal’s house, but we don’t know where is it located."

The two men denied being Russian agents, claiming they work in the sports nutrition business and their lives have been "turned upside down" by the British investigation.

Novichok suspects Alexander Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov
PA

"When your life has 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," said Mr Boshirov.

The two suspects were interviewed by Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, the international-facing media funded by the Kremlin, who announced on Twitter on Wednesday that she'd "spent an evening" with them.

Asked if they took with them the fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle that has been shown in evidence and contained the nerve agent, Mr Boshirov said: "Isn't 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."

The pair admitted that they were the men repeatedly caught on CCTV images released by the Government. "Yes. We have these clothes, this jacket is hanging in my wardrobe. The shoes are bought in England…These are the clothes we are currently wearing."

Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, the two men alleged to have carried out the Novichok attack, captured by CCTV in Salisbury on March 4, 2018 
PA/Met Police

"Are these clothes currently in Russia?" Ms Simonyan asked. "Yes, of course, we can show it."

The men's stories were today met with derision.

City minister John Glen, who is MP for Salisbury, wrote on Twitter that he was "delighted" the two men saw the sights of Salisbury, but added: "But very strange to come all this way for just two days while carrying Novichok in their luggage".

"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."

Tom Tugendhat, Conservative chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: "The idea that Russians were turned away by snow is laughable. This is the most pathetic story and is simply an insult following the thorough dossier presented by the Prime Minister on these two GRU officers."

Ms Simonyan wrote in Russian that reporters from media have been "blowing up" her phone asking how she landed the interview, but sought to explain by claiming the suspects sought her out personally.

"Everyone knows my number," she said, adding that the pair said they'd seen her on TV and social media and "for that reason, in their words, trust me".

Critics pointed out that the interview comes the day after Vladimir Putin said Russia knew the real identities of two accused men and claimed they were just civilians and "nothing special...nothing criminal".

Mr Putin, speaking at an economic forum in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, explicitly called for Mr Petrov and Mr Boshirov to come forward and tell the world their story.

He said: "I hope they will turn up themselves and tell everything. This would be best for everyone."

British prosecutors last week identified two Russians who they said were operating under aliases - Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - who they believe tried to murder the Skripals with the military-grade nerve agent.

'Russian spies': Prime Minister Theresa May updates MPs in the House of Commons on the Skripals poisoning case
PA

UK intelligence agencies linked Mr Petrov and Mr Boshirov to the Russian military intelligence service known as the GRU, who Theresa May believes was behind the attack.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “The GRU is a highly disciplined organisation with a well-established chain of command, so this was not a rogue operation.

“It was also almost certainly approved outside the GRU at high level of the Russian state.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said last week that Mr Petrov and Mr Boshirov had been charged with carrying out the poisonings.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia both survived the nerve agent poisoning

Police said they believe the pair flew into Gatwick two days before the attack, when they checked into the City Stay Hotel in Bow, east London.

They then travelled to Salisbury to carry out a reconnaissance mission, and the attack itself the following day.

They used a specially adapted counterfeit Nina Ricci perfume bottle to smear the nerve agent on the door of Mr Skripal’s home, officers said, before flying back to Moscow from Heathrow that night.

Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said both men had travelled on genuine Russian passports and had visited the UK before.

The pair are also linked to the separate Novichok poisoning on June 20, when Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley fell ill in Amesbury, about eight miles away. Ms Sturgess died in hospital on July 8.

Novichok nerve agent suspects - In pictures

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