27 January 2015 Last updated at 01:57 GMT
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.
- Will inquiry find answers?
- Who was Alexander Litvinenko?
- 'Multiple attempts' to kill Russian Watch
- Poisoned spy death inquiry announced
26 January 2015 Last updated at 22:00 GMT
Alexander
Litvinenko 'killed on third attempt'
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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 Litvinenko's 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 Litvinenko's 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.
Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun deny any involvement in the death
The death of Mr Litvinenko, who took British citizenship after his
arrival in the UK, had already led to a clouding of relations between London
and Moscow, with expulsions of diplomats from the embassies of both countries.
He died three weeks after becoming violently ill in November 2006
following a meeting with two former Russian agents at the Millennium Hotel in
central London.
UK police say radioactive polonium-210 was administered in a cup of tea,
and identified two suspects in the case - Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun. But
the two Russians have disputed their claims.
The issue of who was ultimately responsible for the death will be
considered at the inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Parts of the evidence will be heard in private, and judge Robert Owen
says it is "inevitable" that some of his final report will stay
secret for security reasons.
The
Litvinenko case
- 23 Nov 2006 - Litvinenko dies three weeks after having tea with former agents Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun in London
- 24 Nov 2006 - His death is attributed to polonium-210
- 22 May 2007 - Britain's director of public prosecutions decides Mr Lugovoi should be charged with the murder of Mr Litvinenko
- 31 May 2007 - Mr Lugovoi denies any involvement in his death but says Mr Litvinenko was a British spy
- 5 Jul 2007 - Russia officially refuses to extradite Mr Lugovoi, saying its constitution does not allow it
- May-June 2013 - Inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death delayed as coroner decides a public inquiry would be preferable, as it would be able to hear some evidence in secret
- July 2013 - Ministers rule out public inquiry
- Jan 2014 - Marina Litvinenko in High Court fight to force a public inquiry
- 11 Feb 2014 - High Court says the Home Office had been wrong to rule out an inquiry before the outcome of an inquest
- July 2014 - Public inquiry announced by Home Office
The police officer who oversaw the investigation, Peter Clarke, the
former head of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command, says Mr
Litvineko's death was "unprecedented".
"There was a very strong forensic trail left behind because of the
way - it is suggested that Litvinenko had been attacked," he said.
"But what was unusual of course was having radioactivity involved."
Speaking ahead of the inquest, Mrs Litvinenko recalled her husband's
deathbed claim at University College Hospital in which he said Russian
President Vladimir Putin was responsible for "everything that happened to
him".
It is also understood that Mr Litvenenko was visited in hospital before
he died by his MI6 handler or case officer.
copy http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-
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