Sergei Skripal: Former double agent may have been poisoned with nerve agent over 'freelance' spying

[kpete]

The Russian double agent poisoned in Salisbury may have become a target after using his contacts in the intelligence community to work for private security firms, investigators believe.

Sergei Skripal could have come to the attention of certain people in Russia by attempting to “freelance” for companies run by former MI5, MI6 and GCHQ spies, security sources say.

Mr Skripal, who remains in hospital in a critical condition alongside his daughter, Yulia, had kept in touch with members of the intelligence community, past and present. Investigators are examining whether he was using those contacts for work.



There are large numbers of private security firms in the UK which are actively involved, for commercial as well as state clients, in researching the activities of powerful individuals with links to the Kremlin power structure.

Sources close to Orbis, the business intelligence firm run by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele, who was behind a dossier of compromising allegations against Donald Trump, said Mr Skripal did not contribute to the file. But they could not say whether Mr Skripal was involved in different investigations into the US President for other interested parties.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sergei-skripal-freelance-spying-targeted-russian-spy-double-agent-poisoning-nerve-agent-salisbury-a8246686.html

[mr_lebowski]

1. It would be unbelievably irresponsible for Orbis to say 'he contributed to the dossier' ergo this ..

2nd hand denial through 'sources close to Orbis' is absolutely to be expected, regardless of whether Steele spoke with Skripal or not.

Tells us very little other than confirming in a roundabout way that he may've still been in the spy biz ...

[sunonmars]

2. its the old saying "Spies don't retire, they expire"

[poboy2]

3. .