Criminal Investigation

The events of the last few days in the Skripal case provide an object lesson of why in criminal investigations the rules of due process should always be adhered to.  The reason the British now find themselves in difficulties is because they have not adhered to them.
This despite the fact that – as they all too often like to remind us – it was the British themselves who largely created them.

Preserve the crime scene. Follow the money trail. Establish the motive. Look for those with the means to pull off the crime. Any criminal investigator will tell you that these are the most basic principles of any investigation. But none of them were followed on 9/11. Of course, there was no serious criminal investigation. No attempt to preserve the evidence or establish the means, motive or opportunity. No inclination to follow the money.