Possible Chemical Weapon Injures Russian Police

A controlled explosion Saturday of a suspected chemical weapon in Russia left seven police officers in the hospital with phosphorous poisoning, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 26).

“Seven police officers are in [the] hospital with signs of poisoning by phosphorous-organic substances. … They are in stable condition,” said Natalya Pletneva of the Saratov region’s emergency situations ministry. “I’ve heard it was a chemical bomb.”

Pletneva said that the bomb was discovered by a farmer near the village of Ivanovko and detonated by local law enforcement officials.

Laboratory tests showed no signs of toxic substances at the detonation site, the ministry said.

Two Russian dailies reported that the bomb could be a World War II-era weapon containing phosgene or mustard gas, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse, Sept. 27).

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