BRITAIN:Family and friends of Alexander Litvinenko again pointed an accusing finger at the Russian regime yesterday as it was confirmed the former dissident and one-time spy was killed by a lethal dose from a radioactive element.
Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday expressed his condolences to the family, describing Mr Litvinenko's death as a tragedy while saying he saw no "definitive proof" from the British medical authorities that this had been "a violent death".
However, Prof Pat Troop of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) described this type of death as an "unprecedented event in the UK", as police investigating it found above-normal levels of radiation at three locations in London connected with Mr Litvinenko.
Scotland Yard confirmed finding traces of radiation at his north London home and at the sushi bar and hotel where he reportedly met contacts before falling ill on November 1st. The police searches of these premises followed the disclosure that a large quantity of alpha radiation from Polonium-210 was detected in Mr Litvinenko's urine just hours before he died in University College Hospital on Thursday night.
Police were also seeking to track Mr Litvinenko's movements and other contacts before his admission to hospital, and were last night treating a number of sites as crime scenes.
The HPA moved to calm public anxiety, saying that the risk of contamination was low, while admitting the situation was "unprecedented". Moreover, it was thought a delay in holding a postmortem was in part explained by concerns about the possible health implications for those who would be involved.
Medical authorities had previously offered conflicting opinions about substances that might have contributed to the illness which led to Mr Litvinenko's death. First reports suggested use of the heavy metal thallium, before giving way to speculation about radiation poisoning, which was in turn dismissed.
However, Thursday's discovery of radioactive Polonium-210 in his body triggered a meeting of the cabinet contingency committee, as well as the health and safety executive, and the home office yesterday issued an NHS Direct number to be called by anybody with concerns.
Experts yesterday explained that once ingested into the body Polonium-210 would track body organs and inflict tissue damage consistent with radiation, while stressing that hospital procedures would reduce risk.
As the police investigation continued so too did the argument and speculation about who might have been responsible.
From beyond the grave, in a deathbed statement written and signed four days ago when he knew he was dying, Mr Litvinenko, made his own position clear, accusing Mr Putin of being directly responsible for taking his life.
"You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed," he wrote.
The dead man's father spoke of his anger, saying "a terrible thing" had been done to his son, who had "never lost his human dignity" as he battled to the last for life. "He was very courageous when he met death and I am proud of my son," said Walter Litvinenko, who said he had been killed by a "tiny nuclear bomb".
"It was so small you could not see it. But the people who killed him have big nuclear bombs and missiles and those people should not be trusted."
Family friend Alex Goldfarb insisted it was "up to the Russian government to . . . answer these allegations". The Russian government had "long lost the benefit of the doubt", he said.
Death of a spy: Putin accused
This is Alexander Litvinenko's statement, read out by his friends following his death.
"You may succeed in silencing one man. But a howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May God forgive you for what you have done.
"You may succeed in silencing me, but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics claim."