Alexander Litvinenko killed on third attempt Two prior attempts to kill ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko may have been made before he died from radiation poisoning in 2006, the BBC has learned. The one-time officer with the successor to the KGB fled to the UK where he became a fierce critic of the Kremlin and worked for security service MI6. A public inquiry into the London death of the 43-year-old opens on Tuesday. Mr Litvinenkos wife says he blamed the Kremlin as he lay dying in hospital but Russia denies any involvement. Marina Litvinenko says she hopes the judge-led inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice will provide answers about what her lawyer described as an act of state-sponsored nuclear terrorism on the streets of London. The inquiry will be chaired by senior judge Sir Robert Owen, who was originally appointed as the coroner at Mr Litvinenkos inquest. Sir Robert delayed the inquest and called for a public inquiry because the inquest could not consider sensitive evidence due to national security fears. The UK government resisted the move at first but later changed its stance last July, amid worsening relations with Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine. The death of Mr Litvinenko, who took British citizenship after [...] newsinlondon/alexander-litvinenko-killed-on-third-attempt/
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:30:25 +0000
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