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Home / World

Russian model Anna Shapiro claims Vladimir Putin tried to poison her in Salisbury

Daily Mail
19 Sep, 2018 03:36 AM3 mins to read

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A Russian model claims she was at the centre of another Salisbury poison plot.

A Russian model claims she was at the centre of another Salisbury poison plot.

A Russian model claimed she was the target of a Putin-order hit in Salisbury - and insisted the Kremlin wants her dead.

Anna Shapiro, 30, and her husband Alex King, 42, fell ill while dining in the city's Prezzo last Sunday.

She said she found her husband collapsed in the men's toilets of the restaurant 'foaming at the mouth', according to the Daily Mail.

The part-time model believes she was the target of a Kremlin hit.
The part-time model believes she was the target of a Kremlin hit.

The 42-year-old is fighting for his life after security sources believe the pair may have been the target of a suspected rat poisoning attack.

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The incident put Salisbury on lockdown for the second time in the space of months as security sources feared another possible chemical weapons attack.

The part-time model believes Putin is behind the attack, just as was accused of being the mastermind behind the attack on the Skripals in March.

She told The Sun: "On arrival I ordered a Florentine pizza and Alex went for sea bass, vegetables and baby potatoes. We also had two glasses of white wine."

Just as they were finishing up their meal, she recalled how her partner went to the toilet and begun to feel ill.

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Shapiro, who also works as an event-space company director, said after 15 minutes she begun to worry and saw him having a seizure near the links.

Shortly after she fell ill herself, where she was sick and then collapsed.

Anna Shapiro, 30, and her husband Alex King, 42, fell ill while dining in the city's Prezzo last Sunday.
Anna Shapiro, 30, and her husband Alex King, 42, fell ill while dining in the city's Prezzo last Sunday.

Along with a waiter, they were rushed to Salisbury District Hospital where they were treated by medics in bio-hazard suits.

She recalled how her partner was rushed off in a different ambulance. She said: "I didn't see Alex again. He was put in an induced coma. The Prezzo guy and me had to strip naked and shower before undergoing tests."

Discover more

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Putin shows off his sniper skills in Russia

20 Sep 10:04 AM

She discharged herself on Monday and was taken to a local hotel where police kept round-the-clock watch over her.

It is believed Ms Shapiro and Mr King may have been attacked using strychnine, senior security sources say.

She said: "It is harrowing waiting for news of Alex. I feel lucky but the doctors are not sure about him.

Ms Shapiro is a part-time model from Russia who has criticised Putin in the past.
Ms Shapiro is a part-time model from Russia who has criticised Putin in the past.

"He has regained consciousness which is marvellous. But we're still waiting for his test results. I'm so scared and wanted to leave London as I didn't feel safe. Now this has happened."

Ms Shapiro was born in Russia but became an Israeli citizen in 2006, against her family's wishes.

She moved to London in 2008 where she met Mr King, and married him last month. But she believes that Russian intelligence believe she is a spy.

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She said: "I publicly renounce Putin and the country of my family. I am a former Russian subject. My father was a general in the Russian army and played for the military orchestra."

Her decision to publicly denounce Putin has sparked anger from her family, including her father, who was a military chief in Russia. She said she has received death threats from someone claiming to be her father.

Wiltshire Police said: "Enquiries into what caused the pair to become unwell are still ongoing. However, due to the recent events in the south of the county, scientific tests were undertaken to establish if they had come into contact with Novichok."

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