Conference Agenda

At the start of March 2018, two agents of the Russian Military Intelligence Agency, the GRU, travelled to Salisbury under alias. In a brazen act of international terrorism, they used a lethal chemical warfare agent, Novichok, in an attempt to assassinate a former Russian citizen and his daughter. Both were poisoned, alongside first responders, but all survived this initial incident. Subsequently, the Novichok, disguised as perfume, was discovered by an innocent member of the public who shared it with his partner, Dawn Sturgess, whose death followed shortly after being poisoned.  Dominic Murphy QPM, the former Commander of SO15 and senior investigating officer in charge of the investigation in Salisbury will explore the challenges of the emergency response, the investigation into a Russian intelligence agency, accountability through a Public Inquiry and what this incident has taught us about state threats in the UK.