Salisbury Prezzo novichok poisoning scare may be a hoax, say police

Couple tested negative for nerve agent and have been discharged from hospital

Police investigating a novichok poisoning scare at a restaurant in Salisbury that triggered a major alert are now said to be looking into the possibility it was a hoax.

Two people were taken to hospital after apparently becoming ill at the Prezzo Italian restaurant on Sunday, briefly sparking fears they had come into contact with the deadly chemical weapon used on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

The Skripals ate at another Italian restaurant, Zizzi, which is a five-minute walk from Prezzo, before feeling the effects of the attack in March.

Emergency services declared a major incident when the couple became unwell during the latest incident, and the restaurant and surrounding area were sealed off.

Witnesses described a scene like “armageddon” as police and emergency services, some wearing protective suits, rushed to the scene.

Maximum precautions were taken to prevent the possibility of anyone else coming into contact with residual amounts of novichok.

Three months after the attack on the Skripals, mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess died and her partner Charlie Rowley was left severely ill when they came across a perfume bottle containing the deadly substance.

However, the two people involved in Sunday’s scare – Russian-born model Anna Shapiro, 30, and her husband Alex King, 42 – subsequently tested negative for the nerve agent and were discharged from hospital.

Mr King is reported to have once pulled off a “prank” that saw him infiltrate a meet-and-greet with the Prince of Wales at a film premiere in 2006 to win a £100,000 bet.

A police source told the BBC they “can’t rule anything in or out” until they speak to Mr King about Sunday’s events.

Speaking to The Sun, Ms Shapiro claimed she had been targeted by the Kremlin.

The paper has since removed its interview with Ms Shapiro “for legal reasons”.

Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at the hospital, said on Wednesday: “Both patients are now medically fit and there is no need for them to be in hospital.

“While this incident did not involve nerve agents, it was still clearly very stressful for our staff who, once again, demonstrated the very best of the NHS.”

Wiltshire Police said it is now conducting a “routine investigation” into the incident.

“The woman from the restaurant has been interviewed once and is likely to be spoken to again. The next step is to speak to the man involved,” a spokesman told the BBC.

Prezzo said it will be “business as usual” when it reopens on Thursday at midday.

A spokesman said: “Once again, we would like to thank Salisbury’s emergency services, our neighbours, our customers and our team for their support and understanding.”