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LONDON, July 4-- A British couple critically ill in hospital have been poisoned by the same nerve agent used in the recent attack on a former Russian agent and his daughter, London's Metropolitan Police confirmed late Wednesday evening. Britain's most senior counter-terrorism cop, ACSO Neil Basu confirmed that a couple from Wiltshire have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, and are both critically ill in hospital. Police are still investigating how the couple became to be victims of the nerve agent, but there is no suggestion they are linked to the security services. The development will come as a major blow after a multi-million dollar decontamination operation was carried out following the attack in March which left former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia both fighting for their lives. They are now recovering at secret addresses in Britain. Dawn Sturgess, aged 44, from Salisbury, and Charlie Rowley, 45, from nearby Amesbury, both fell ill and at first it was thought a batch of contaminated drugs may have caused them to become seriously ill. Scientists at Britain's top secret lab at Porton Down confirmed to police Wednesday night that tests they had carried out showed Novichok was responsible. In a statement at the Metropolitan Police HQ in London Basu said: "I can confirm tonight that there has been a significant development and that the Counter Terrorism Policing Network is now leading the investigation into this incident. This evening we have received test results from Porton Down that show the two people have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok." | 
