Visited Britain as tourists, say suspects accused by Britain of poisoning ex-Russian spy Skripal

Two men accused by Britain of poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia have told Russian media that they visited the British city of Salisbury as tourists and denied having anything to do with the murder attempt.

Also Read: Putin says Skripal poisoning suspects are not criminals

The duo said they were victims of "fantastical coincidence", and that they were Russian businessmen on holiday abroad.

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British prosecutors last week identified two Russians roaming around in Salisbury in an attempt to poison Sergei,66, and Yulia Skripal.

Although the two men bore a strong resemblance to the pictures released by Britain last week but they flatly dismissed accusation linking them to the murder attempt on the Skripal family.

The men said they deserved an apology from the real perpetrators of the poisoning.

Skripal, an ex-Russian double agent and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.

British investigators later concluded that Skripal and Yulia were poisoned with the deadly nerve gas Novichok, widely used by the Soviet military in the 70s. Britains claims was dismissed by Russia, in retaliation western governments including the United States hade expelled over 100 Russian diplomats from their state capitals triggering a diplomatic row between Russia and the West.

Later, the Russian law enforcement committee said it had sent a request to Britain to provide Moscow with legal assistance. However, Britain remained steadfast in its view that Moscow was behind the murder attempt on  Skripal and Yulia.