Russian spy poisoned by nerve agent just before new bombshell report on Steele dossier

A former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent, according to British investigators.

The medical and chemical evidence, as well as the victims' reactions, point to a poison such as VX or sarin, the two best known nerve agents, reported The Guardian.

The use of a nerve agent suggests a state actor may have been responsible, investigators believe.

Russia has been suspected of targeting former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, although Moscow denies the allegations.

Sources close to British intelligence said toxicology tests would help confirm what agent was used, although they said other factors might also be involved.

Skripal was found unconscious on a bench Sunday afternoon, with his 33-year-old daughter Yulia Skripal beside him.

Both remain in critical condition in a hospital intensive care unit.

The attack came the day before an in-depth report was published in The New Yorker on former British spy Christopher Steele's work compiling a dossier linking Donald Trump to Russia.

The report noted that Steele had not visited Russia, where he once served for MI-6, since 2009, but said his contacts could have been interviewed in the United Kingdom, although it's not clear whether Skripal assisted Steele in any way.