Russians in spy poisoning posed as businessmen

London : Two Russians accused by London of trying to kill a former double agent with nerve agent posed as businessmen to obtain visas to visit Britain for the attack, a report said yesterday. British authorities have issued European arrest warrants for Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, two suspected members of Russian military intelligence.

They are accused of trying to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with Novichok in the English city of Salisbury on March 4, in an attack London believes was sanctioned by the Kremlin. The Daily Telegraph newspaper, citing an unnamed security source, said the two men had posed as businessmen to obtain their visas from the British consulate in Saint Petersburg.

They reportedly told authorities they were working in international trade, and both produced business cards as well as details of their bank accounts to prove they had the necessary assets for a visa. Police say the men travelled on Russian passports bearing the names Petrov and Boshirov, but that these are almost certainly aliases. The Telegraph said their true names were known to the security services.