Alexander Litvinenko (right) became famous in Russia in 1998 when he summoned a news conference to accuse the FSB of plotting an attempt to kill tycoon Boris Berezovsky.
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
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Litvinenko Dies from Radiation
Police probing the death of Russian ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko have found above-normal levels of radiation in several locations in London. Litvinenko died in a London hospital Thursday night after three weeks of being ill. His death has been linked to the presence of a major dose of radioactive polonium-210 in his body.
In a statement dictated before he died, Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. The Kremlin has said Litvinenko’s death was a part of an orchestrated campaign aimed to discredit Russia.
Litvinenko’s father, Walter, said: “Sasha fought the [Kremlin] regime and this regime got him.” He said his son had been killed by a “tiny nuclear bomb”. Speaking to Kommersant, Litvinenko’s friend Alexander Goldfarb said “this quantity of radioactive chemicals can be found only in a nuclear laboratory” and added that there is no way to obtain this quantity except for through governmental sources.
British police found traces of radioactive chemicals at the Russian’s home, a sushi bar and a hotel in London.
Tests are also being carried out at two hospitals where Litvinenko had been treated. A large quantity of alpha radiation emitted from polonium-210 had been detected in Litvinenko’s urine. Doctors say the 43-year-old would have had to either eaten, inhaled or been given the dose of polonium-210 through a wound. British officials call his death as an “unprecedented event in the UK”.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 25, 2006
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