poisoning officer fled court prosecution russia received political asylum united_kingdom november suddenly fell ill hospitalized died weeks later confirmed victim lethal induced acute radiation syndrome allegations public deathbed accusations russian president unusual resulted worldwide media coverage subsequent investigations british authorities circumstances death led diplomatic difficulties british russian governments trial representative witnessed evidence suggests credible explanation way russian state involved murder witness stated speaking openly plan kill intended set example punishment traitor main suspect case officer remains russia member enjoys immunity prosecution elected british government tried success time father residing italy believes murder found dead home england march background officer service escaped prosecution russia received political asylum great_britain books blowing russia terror described russian president rise power coup état organised alleged key element strategy russians bombing apartment buildings moscow russian cities accused russian secret services having arranged moscow theater hostage crisis agent having organised armenian parliament shooting stated terrorist control visited russia arrival london continued support russian exile media campaign russian government journalist site wrote books blowing russia terror accused russian secret services staging russian apartment bombings terrorist acts bring power weeks death accused ordering assassination illness poisoning november suddenly fell ill earlier day met officers bodyguard russian prime minister reportedly poisoned november chief security russian channel businessman lunch restaurant london italian officer nuclear expert reportedly allegations connections attached investigating penetration italian politics claimed information death journalist killed moscow apartment october passed papers supposedly concerning fate november reported gone hiding feared life days november experienced severe point walk assistance pain intensified asked wife ambulance assistance weeks condition worsened doctors searched cause illness surrounded friends physically weak spent periods unconscious photograph taken deathbed released public want world said poison moved local hospital north london central london intensive care blood samples sent awe testing scientists awe tested radioactive poison gamma gamma rays detected small spike noticed energy electron volts bbc reported coincidence scientist worked britain early atomic bomb programme decades happened discussion small spike recognised gamma ray signal critical component early nuclear bombs evening november shortly death doctors informed poison likely tests larger sample designed detect alpha radiation confirmed result following day unlike common radiation sources little gamma radiation large amounts alpha particles penetrate sheet paper human skin invisible normal radiation explained tests conducted doctors hospital negative gamma rays alpha particles classified radiation cause radiation damage alpha substance cause significant damage acting living cells like short range weapon hours death tested alpha special equipment shortly death hpa said tests established significant amounts body british government officials said use poison documented probably time tested presence body poison cup tea contact exposed radiation content body symptoms seen appeared consistent administered activity approximately corresponds times median lethal dose case initial hypothesis initially investigated claims poisoned reported early tests appeared confirm presence poison distinctive effects poisoning hair loss damage peripheral nerves photograph hospital released media behalf showed hair fallen attributed initial survival fitness swift medical treatment later suggested radioactive poison physicians said symptoms slightly odd poisoning chemical levels able detect kind levels condition deteriorated moved intensive care november hours death unidentified circular shaped objects found stomach ray scan thought objects certainly shadows caused presence prussian blue treatment given poisoning death statement late november heart failed official time death london autopsy took place december poisonous radioactive eaten reported doctors told body times lethal dose funeral took place december mosque body buried november article attributed published mail sunday online entitled believe wanted dead statement said time things person responsible present condition succeed silence comes price shown ruthless hostile critics claimed shown respect life liberty value shown office trust men women succeed man protest world ears rest life god forgive beloved russia people investigation initial steps investigating poisoning death head deputy assistant commissioner stated police trace possible witnesses examine movements relevant times including ill identify people met extensive examination footage committee met discuss investigation united_states fbi stated requested nations provide assistance referring fbi joining investigation expertise radioactive weapons announced december treating death murder joined investigation providing exchange information british russian german police trails detectives traced distinct trails london different dates according investigation suggests took failed attempts administer final successful attempt took place october radioactive traces found places visited meeting administered poison tea drank apparently fully realize handling radioactive poison journalist described behaviour handling container stored hotel rooms regular clean leaks eventually disposed poison toilet october realizing contaminated rooms prematurely checked moved hotel left london day unsuccessful assassination attempt took place october flew london left radioactive traces hotel prior meeting administer poison security cameras meeting room disposed poison room toilet left london attempt poisoning took place november millennium hotel square bus travelled hotel signs large amounts detected hotel subsequently found fourth floor room cup hotel millennium bar stopped office machine found later picked brought home hill left car significant car rendered touched home days contaminated family unable return house months later wife tested positive leave secondary trail suggested left trail picked possibly including patterns levels left suggested handled directly human body sweat results reduced level traces found hey bar restaurant people left trails school friends worked previously russian intelligence respectively people handled radioactive material directly left significant traces met millennium hotel bar twice november poisoning took place earlier october trails left started october bar poisoned later different table assumed meeting rehearsal future poisoning unsuccessful attempt poisoning traces left found office visited october day second meeting traces left found hamburg germany left way london october traces found passenger jets moscow october flights moscow october november said flew london moscow november flight stated arrived london october attend football match arsenal moscow november news broke radioactive substance murder team scientists rushed find far contamination spread led trail involving hundreds people dozens locations later published list flights contaminated aircraft involving passengers advised potentially affected contact help december issued email customers informing aircraft declared safe entering service british request british authorities investigated death reported december scientists traced source nuclear power plant russia december reports stated britain demanded right speak russians implicated death russian foreign minister asserted moscow willing answer concrete questions russian prosecutor general said tuesday december russian citizen charged poisoning tried russia britain stated detectives ask questions russian citizens presence russian prosecutors submitted formal request face criminal charges relating murder declined declined citing citizens allowed russian constitution article constitution russia russian authorities later said britain handed evidence professor secretary general commented russian constitution actually opens door russia ratified international treaties december additional ambassador pointed ratified entered declaration concerning article terms russian federation declares accordance article constitution russian federation citizen state extended citizens france germany refuse citizens bbc programme july british security source told bbc programme strongly believe case state involvement strong indications british government claimed intelligence security officials authorised comment case january public inquiry headed sir found responsible poisoning inquiry found strong probability acting direction actions probably approved director president possibly related events march director security intelligence committee previous weekend alleged national television involved poisoning shot near maryland home fbi spokesman said agency assisting police investigation shooting police confirm details shooting condition person familiar case said critical condition hospital reported indications shooting linked case unusual fbi involved local shooting incident person familiar situation said nbc hired journalists involved program possible motivation professor physics said substance carefully chosen ability hard detect person senior agent defect britain similar comment assassination carefully prepared rehearsed russian secret services unaware technology existed detect traces left know leaves traces didn didn know equipment technology exists west didn know nuclear scientist expert worked russia nuclear research facilities says execution plot bout choice stroke genius says choice poison genius carried water carried pocket airport screening devices setting adding administered creates symptoms don suggest poison days allowing time priest asserts probably expert radiation protection probably didn realize contamination opening closing right equipment detect count second filmmaker friend suggested poison designed trigger slow spectacular demise expert russia suggested message communicated wants speak matter find silence horrible way possible theories theories poisoning circulated death circumstances led suspicion killed russian secret service deputy chairman security committee communist_party said exclude possibility apparently referred recent russian counter terrorism law gives president right order actions investigator russian apartment bombings wrote letter prison team organised kill reported plans kill relatives moscow carried state member commented november deserved punishment reached traitor confident terrible death warning colors located russia pardon recommend citizen avoid food commemoration accomplice publications russian media suggested death connected chief worked said incident looks like hand sure kind intelligence services participated involvement alleged numerous russian television shows shortly incident russian government dismissed theories involvement assassination argument important mentally unstable implying government interest killing insignificant figure observed argument raised assassination described death public execution explanation forward appeared deaths intended president theories included involvement rogue members suggestions killed research certain russian corporations state officials political intrigue undermine president suspects russia officer millionaire met day fell ill november visited london times month death met victim times traces discovered hotels stayed flying london october restaurant dover street understood november aboard aircraft travelled declined contaminated charged murder sent request russia includes summary evidence party seen request american journalist described thin russian businessman agent met london mid october november day fell ill december hospitalized sources initially reporting coma december german police found traces radiation hamburg flat following day december german investigators identified detected material clarified substance found slept night departing london british police report having detected plane travelled moscow points hamburg identified contaminated substance december told russia health improving investigation german detectives suspected smuggling germany october germany dropped case november business partner times stated police identified man believe poisoned fatal dose cup tea fourth floor room millennium hotel discuss business deal going bar men joined room later mystery figure introduced man help win lucrative contract moscow based private security firm said arrived london hamburg november flight image recorded security cameras airport arrival described early tall strong short black hair central asian features agent said man believed lithuanian passport left country passport said started preparations early time february april travelled london walked studied businessman politician said police interview mentioned person met millennium hotel remember friend writes according brought man seen eyes killer assassin code assassin said officer born master walks slight allegedly speaks perfect english portuguese person served tea london hotel room persons related case sudden illness ireland november day death linked visit restaurant present investigated overall investigation ireland observers noted probably poisoned drinking strange cup tea taken hospital doctors said condition life threatening recover incident similar poisoning flight claimed enemies tried poison hpa announced significant quantities found health found normal admitted hospital tests monitoring doctors exposed lower level preliminary tests found evidence radiation according channel news december intake suffered result dose lead chance cancer according independent alleged involved smuggling radioactive material residing london stated officer residing france continued collaboration circles trust russian diplomat death called possible murder reports state widow tested positive seriously ill park hotel sussex evacuated precaution possibly previous visit according channel december news intake suffered result dose leading chance cancer forensic investigation includes silver mercedes outside home believed owned close friend neighbour foreign minister government exile reports state traces radioactive material found vehicle british police officers tested positive poisoning bar staff bar staff hotel contaminated found discovered suffered intake dose range people include head long time years worker hotel described situation delivering table couldn happening deliberate create distraction difficult drink moment situation went point think sprayed contamination found picture sitting table chair floor spray poured remains sink tea looked yellow usual thicker looked sink threw lucky didn fingers mouth scratch eye got poison inside chronology background history june remote controlled bomb detonated aiming mercedes bodyguard rear seat driver died left car unscathed organized crime unit investigating officer assassination attempt case solved point befriended november time head officers including lieutenant colonel accuse director deputy 1st rank captain ordering assassinate november october october russian journalist critic shot moscow october flies london october agent visits london time eats meals bar november october visits management security firm place october accuses president murder october arrived hamburg germany moscow flight later german police discovered passenger seat car picked airport contaminated october comes london hamburg germany german police found wife apartment hamburg contaminated november november restaurant meets italian security expert hands alleged evidence concerning murder comes office copy papers given hand meets agents millennium hotel london later ill november brought november tells bbc poisoned bad condition november moved placed armed guard november reports emerge poisoned chemical element past rat poison november moved police statements people close relation speaker denies russian government involved poisoning november hospital announces condition worsened substantially november dies november dictated deathbed statement published accuses president responsible death rejects accusation hpa announces significant amounts found body traces substance found house millennium hotel november member address commented death following words deserved punishment reached traitor sure terrible death warning russia treason recommend citizen avoid food commemoration crime accomplice november british police state investigating death possible poisoning november announces traces found seven different places london office russian opponent november hpa announces screening nurses physicians treated authorities find traces radioactive substance board planes november traces found number planes going moscow december december autopsy performed body results post examination revealed spikes radiation poisoning suggesting received separate tests positive admitted hospital widow tests positive sent hospital treatment december counter terrorist unit questioned spy emigrated united_states questioned witness washington presence fbi officers claimed lead explain happened december announced treating death murder december confused reports state hospitalized reason clear december prosecutor general opened criminal case poisoning articles murder committed way general public attempted murder persons committed way general public december reported coma december german police find traces radiation hamburg flat december police identify single cup millennium hotel certainly administer poison december interrogated moscow office refuses reveal information concerning interrogation december tells russian station health improving december arrested naples return london apparently unrelated charges december prosecutor general russia accused vice president exiled israel wanted russian authorities long time involvement poisoning charge dismissed nonsense february february told bbc deathbed said responsible poisoning february text letter written widow january demanding work british authorities solving case released february update hpa investigation incident sir director public england wales face trial grave crime murdering announces britain seek attempt charge murdering russian government states allow russian citizens formally request face criminal charges constitution russia russian citizens foreign countries article request fulfilled requests granted past example handed later found unlawful russian courts awarded damages paid russian government article explicitly mention russian citizens apply foreign nationals living russia article people holding russian citizenship held news conference accused attempting recruit blamed russian mafia fugitive opponent killing july july confirms result russia refusal russian diplomats expelled london july russia deputy foreign minister threatens expel diplomats july russian foreign ministry spokesman announced expulsion diplomats moscow october october newspaper reported agent receiving month murdered current head sir involved recruitment quoting unnamed diplomatic intelligence sources claims denied december december interview asked spanish newspaper killed interests russian state wanted british police suspicion murder replied order assassination example president georgia interests russian state comparisons deaths deaths radioactive materials according person assumed person died years later survived years eventually dying respiratory failure intake exposed estimated suffered bone mass bone surface liver lungs claimed post examination revealed signs cancer body october issue journal dedicated subsequent papers appeared september issue similar suspicious deaths comparisons alleged poisoning alleged poisoning fatal poisoning journalist incident attracted comparisons poisoning radioactive unconfirmed journalist interview coincidentally prepared russian journalist later found shot death apartment building like investigated russian apartment bombings member hired friend legal counsel british agent believes murders incident returned practice political conducted past comparison responsible personal protection died russia poisoning unknown radioactive substance officers special forces liked use photos target practice shooting galleries according russian journalist
Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko