21/11/2006

Anti-terror police investigate poisoning case

Counter terrorism officers from Scotland Yard are now investigating the poisoning of a former KGB colonel who is now living in Britain.

It is suspected that Alexander Litvinenko, 41, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was deliberately poisoned with the toxic chemical thallium.

On Tuesday, a toxicologist who is treating Mr Litvinenko suggested that he may have been poisoned with a radioactive substance.

Professor John Henry said that Mr Litvinenko was showing signs that he had consumed thallium, but said that he was also showing symptoms linked to other substances.

Mr Litvinenko said that he was investigating the recent murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and he claimed that he met with a contact at a sushi bar in Piccadilly on November 1, who provided him with documents containing names of people who may have been involved in her murder.

Mr Litvinenko fell ill after this meeting, becoming seriously ill two weeks later. He is currently being treated in intensive care at University College Hospital in London, where he is reportedly under armed guard.

According to reports, he has been given a 50/50 chance of surviving the next four weeks.

On Monday, Scotland Yard confirmed that they were making "extensive inquiries" during their investigation into the poisoning, including interviews, toxicology tests and studying CCTV footage.

A spokesman for the Kremlin dismissed allegations that it was involved in the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko.

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service - a successor to the KGB - has also issued a statement denying any involvement.

Thallium is an odorless and tasteless chemical and was used in the past as both a rat poison and ant killer. However, it is no longer used in a number of countries because of safety concerns.

It has several industrial uses, including the manufacture of optical glass, low-temperature thermometers and green fireworks.

Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Hair loss is one of the most distinctive effects of thallium poisoning.

(KMcA)


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