A man who sat on the same bench just minutes before a Russian spy was found unconscious in an alleged poisoning is feeling fine.
While waiting for his wife to finish shopping on March 4, Steve Cooper sat on a bench with his dog outside a shopping centre in Salisbury, U.K. Just minutes later, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on that same bench in what British officials have called 鈥渟tate-sponsored attempted murder鈥� with a suspected nerve agent.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all feeling OK,鈥� Cooper told CTV News Channel on Monday. 鈥淭here (are) no immediate health issues that we鈥檙e aware of.鈥�
Meanwhile, Skripal and his daughter remain in critical condition. A police detective who came in contact with them is in serious condition. In total, more than 20 people have received medical attention.
鈥淚 travel the world with my job, I鈥檝e seen many things, been in a few situations, but the most dangerous one I encounter is just a few hundred metres from where I live,鈥� Cooper said.
That day, Cooper also went to 鈥淭he Mill,鈥� a pub Skripal and his daughter visited before they were found unconscious. Cooper didn鈥檛 see the pair inside, but his friends noticed Skripal heading to the washroom.
Since the attack, British officials have asked anyone who visited the pub or the nearby Zizzi restaurant to wash their clothes. The warning didn鈥檛 come out until nearly a week after the attack, leading to some criticism from the public, including Cooper, who鈥檚 been wearing the same coat since the attack.
鈥淭he only concern I had was the long delay in advising us that our health was potentially at risk going forward,鈥� he said.
Officials are still working to figure out how the nerve agent was delivered and where it came from. Nearly 200 military personnel have been sent to Salisbury to help police in the investigation.
Russian officials have denied any involvement in the alleged attack.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to issue a statement on the matter later on Monday.
