A British man who was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok has recovered sufficiently to be released from the hospital, authorities say.
Health officials on July 20 said 45-year-old Charlie Rowley “is well enough” to be discharged from Salisbury District Hospital and that his release into the public “creates no risk to anyone in the community.”
Rowley and his partner, Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill on June 30 after being exposed to Novichok in Amesbury, less than 20 kilometers from Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with the nerve agent in March.
Sturgess died on July 8 and her death is being treated as murder.
Police continue to investigate how Rowley and Sturgess may have been exposed to the toxin.
The incident involving the Skripals, both of whom recovered from their exposure to Novichok after weeks in a hospital, triggered a diplomatic crisis between Moscow and the West.
Britain has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's government for the attack with a military-grade chemical weapon that was developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Russia rejects the accusation.
On July 19, British media reported that investigators believe they have identified the suspects responsible for the Skripal attack using security-camera footage and records of people entering the country. The reports said investigators suspect several Russians were involved in the attack.
