Radiation found on planes in spy probe
November 30, 2006 07:34am
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BRITISH Airways has said traces of radiation have been found on two of its aircraft being examined in a police probe into the poisoning death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
The airline has said three short haul aircraft have been taken out of service for forensic examination, after initial test results showed "very low traces of a radioactive substance on board two of the three" planes.
Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian spy, died last Thursday of radiation poisoning. Significant amounts of radioactive Polonium 210 were found in his body.
In another twist yesterday, friends of former Russian prime minister Yegor Gaidar said he was in hospital with a mysterious illness that they said could be another poisoning.
Anatoly Chubais, a former finance minister and a close ally of Mr Gaidar, told London's Financial Times yesterday that he suspected Mr Gaidar had been poisoned.
Mr Chubais, the wealthy head of Russia's electricity monopoly, ruled out any involvement of Russia's security services or the Kremlin in Mr Gaidar's unexplained illness, which left him suddenly unconscious, vomiting blood and bleeding from the nose.
He collapsed while attending a conference in Ireland last Friday.
Mr Gaidar lives in Moscow and maintains close links with some Russian government officials but is a critic of President Vladimir Putin.
He is undergoing tests in a Moscow hospital that have found no signs of radiation poisoning, but he told the Financial Times by telephone that doctors had so far been unable to identify the cause of his violent vomiting and bleeding.
Mr Gaidar said he felt ill after eating a simple breakfast where he was staying near Dublin. He said he could barely move his limbs and had to lie down for most of the afternoon.
In a link that would delight lovers of espionage thrillers, Mr Gaidar once employed as a bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB agent who met Mr Litvinenko in a London hotel room on the day Mr Litvinenko was apparently poisoned.
British pathologists will don chemical suits and breathing apparatus tomorrow to conduct a post-mortem examination of Mr Litvinenko's radiation-riddled body to confirm their belief he somehow ingested a tiny pellet of the radioactive material.
Mr Litvinenko's body is being kept in a lead-lined coffin by British officials who have so far conducted tests on eight people in London who fear they may have been exposed to the radiation that killed him.
The disclosure of Mr Gaidar's collapse came as Kremlin officials and government-backed media in Moscow argued that Mr Litvinenko's death might have been orchestrated by exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who fiercely opposes Mr Putin and employed Mr Litvinenko after the ex-KGB lieutenant colonel sought asylum in Britain.
The Russian officials stepped up their accusations against Mr Berezovsky after London police found traces of radioactive polonium-210 at Mr Berezovsky's London offices.
Mr Berezovsky, a one-time Kremlin powerbroker who fell out with Mr Putin and fled to England, has issued a statement mourning Mr Litvinenko's death and blaming Mr Putin.
Detectives are understood to want to question Mr Berezovsky about the events of November 1, the day Mr Litvinenko fell ill. Mr Berezovsky has declined to explain publicly why Mr Litvinenko, who was recently given British citizenship, visited his headquarters in Mayfair on that day.
In his first comment on the Litvinenko affair, Tony Blair insisted yesterday that no "diplomatic or political barrier" would be permitted to obstruct the police inquiry, even if the evidence pointed to a state-sponsored assassination. "We are determined to find out what happened and who is responsible," the Prime Minister said.
Police yesterday questioned Mario Scaramella, an Italian nuclear expert, who met Litvinenko at a sushi bar in Piccadilly where evidence of the radioactive poison was found. Radiation has so far been found at seven locations across London, as well as on the BA aircraft.
The airline now faces a huge logistical challenge tracking down passengers who used the planes on more than 200 flights, starting with a November 3 London Heathrow to Moscow flight.
"We are looking at around 33,000 passengers on 221 flights over the past four weeks," a BA spokesman has said. "We have set up a special helpline for customers".
British Airways has said it has been advised "the risk to public health is low".
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Radiation found at 12 London locations in Russian spy probe UPDATE
(Updating with quotes, background, details on possible fifth plane)
LONDON (AFX) - British Home Secretary John Reid said that traces of radioactivity had been found at 'around 12' locations in London, as part of the investigation into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
In a statement to lawmakers, he said a total of 24 places were being monitored for possible contamination, and added that a fourth airplane was also being investigated, in addition to three already identified.
'To date, around 24 venues have or are being monitored and experts have confirmed traces of contamination at around 12 of these venues,' he said, giving an update on the alert triggered by Litvinenko's death.
Traces have been found on two British Airways planes grounded at London's Heathrow airport, and Reid said that on one of those planes health authorities believe there is 'no residual public health risk remaining on that plane.'
They are continuing to study the second plane at Heathrow, he said, but also insisted the risk was low.
A third British Airways plane is still being investigated in Moscow, he confirmed.
'BA has decided not to return it to London until the position is clearer. The government is in contact with BA over the next steps,' he told the House of Commons.
In addition a fourth plane, a Boeing 737 leased to Russian private carrier Transaero airlines arrived at Heathrow this morning, he said.
In reply to questions after his statement, Reid said there was one other Russian plane they may be 'interested in'.
'There may be other aeroplanes that we don't at this stage know about,' he added.
Between them, the three BA aircraft initially identified had made 221 flights involving about 33,000 passengers and about 3,000 staff, Reid said in his statement.
'Passengers' details will be collected and the Health Protection Agency will contact any individual if (there are) any matters of concern,' he said, referring to the health body dealing with the scare.
