By Lucy Caulkett-
The attempted murder of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, using a nerve agent was a “brazen and reckless attack”, Amber Rudd has said.
Both Mr Skripal and his daughter are still critically ill after being found collapsed on a bench in Salisbury city centre on Sunday.
Counter-terrorism officers are working to find the origin of the nerve agent.
A police officer, who was in intensive care, is now “stable and conscious”, Wiltshire’s chief constable said.
Addressing the House of Commons, the home secretary said the attack was “attempted murder in the most cruel and public way”.
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Ms Rudd told MPs it was an “outrageous crime”, adding that the government would “act without hesitation as the facts become clearer”.
She refused to speculate on whether the Russian state might have been involved in the attack, saying the police investigation should be based on “facts, not rumour”.
However, she said the government was committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice “whoever they are and wherever they may be”.
Prime Minister Theresa May told ITV News that “if action needs to be taken then the government will do that”.
“We will do what is appropriate, we will do what is right, if it is proved to be the case that this is state-sponsored,” she said