BERLIN: Berlin police are investigating the possible poisoning of two Russian exiles who attended a conference in the German capital, a police spokesperson told CNN. The Berlin police spokesperson told CNN, “A file has been opened based on the information available”. “We’re aware that poisoning is possible and other potential causes too.”
The spokesperson refused to provide further details about the ongoing investigation. German newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” first reported on the police investigation, writing that the two Russians took part in the conference held by Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin on April 29 and 30.
Berlin police didn’t name the Russian exiles.
The Berlin police probe comes after Russian exile Natalia Arno, president of the Free Russia Foundation activist group, spoke publicly this week about falling ill after the trip to Europe.
Russia has lastly been accused of carrying out nerve agent attacks.
In 2020, the opposition leader of Russia, Alexey Navalny, known for publicly criticising President of Russia Vladimir Putin, fell ill on a return flight from Siberia.
It was confirmed as poisoning once he was medically evacuated to Germany, where he found in his system with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.
Novichok is a deadly chemical weapon used in the attempted murder of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
Both survived, but several others in the area were exposed to the military-grade nerve agent, resulting in one fatality.
The attack has long since been connected to doubt Russian military intelligence agents claiming to be tourists.
