London (CNN) Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were deliberately poisoned by a nerve agent, UK police say, significantly increasing the likelihood that a foreign state was behind the attack. Mark Rowley, head of the counter-terrorism division of London's Metropolitan Police, told reporters that Sunday's incident was being treated as attempted murder. He revealed that one of the first police officers on the scene had fallen sick and was seriously ill in hospital. Skripal -- a former Russian military official convicted of spying for the UK -- and his daughter Yulia remain critically ill in hospital after being found unconscious on a shopping center bench. Police said they believe the pair were the specific targets of the attack.

Source: CNN March 07, 2018 17:44 UTC