The head of the investigation into the poisoning of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal has been appointed as the next head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency.
Ken McCallum led the probe into the 2018 chemical attack in Salisbury, southwest England, that almost killed ex-spy Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
Russia has repeatedly rejected claims that officers from its GRU military intelligence agency used a powerful nerve agent against Skripal in retribution for his work for Britain and Western agencies.
Both survived after spending days in a coma and have since gone into hiding. A woman who was exposed to the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok died, and several other people were affected. The British government announced the appointment of McCallum on Monday. He will take over from the current head of MI5, Andrew Parker, when he retires at the end of April.