Lawyer says poisoned spy was working for Britain's MI6
LONDON (AP) - Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was a "registered and paid" agent working for Britain's foreign intelligence agency when he died after being mysteriously poisoned, a lawyer representing his widow told an official hearing Thursday. Another lawyer said the U.K. has evidence the Russian government was behind Litvinenko's death.
Britain is investigating the demise of Litvinenko, who died in November 2006 after drinking tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a London hotel. The case has badly strained relations between the United Kingdom and Russia, which denies poisoning the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic.
Thursday's session aimed to set out the scope of a public inquest into Litvinenko's death. Judge Robert Owen said the inquest is expected to start in May.
Lawyer Ben Emmerson, representing Litvinenko's widow Marina, said that, at the time of his death, Litvinenko was working for Britain's MI6 spy agency and had been tasked to help Spanish intelligence investigate the Russian mafia. The U.K. probe must consider if MI6 failed to properly assess the risks before sending the agent out on his assignment, Emmerson said.
Lawyer Neil Garnham, representing Britain's Home Office, told the hearing he could "neither confirm nor deny" if Litvinenko was employed by British intelligence.
Meanwhile, Hugh Davies, the lawyer who advises the coroner in the inquest, told the hearing that a "high-level assessment" of confidential material provided by the British government established a case for the Russian state's culpability in Litvinenko's poisoning.
Litvinenko, a former Russian FSB agent, blamed the Kremlin - specifically Russian President Vladimir Putin - for his impending death, and his family has demanded Russian authorities be held accountable. Britain has accused two Russians, Alexander Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, of killing Litvinenko, but Moscow has refused to hand them over.
After the hearing, Litvinenko's widow Marina said she was encouraged.
"I appreciate all that was done today and I'm looking forward to any decision which will be taken by the coroner after today's hearing," she told reporters.
Inquests are held in Britain to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances. Inquests are meant only to determine a cause of death, so they don't apportion blame. But in Litvinenko's case every detail of the inquiry is being scrutinized for clues to the alleged involvement of Russia's secret services.
Britain is investigating the demise of Litvinenko, who died in November 2006 after drinking tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210 at a London hotel. The case has badly strained relations between the United Kingdom and Russia, which denies poisoning the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic.
Thursday's session aimed to set out the scope of a public inquest into Litvinenko's death. Judge Robert Owen said the inquest is expected to start in May.
Lawyer Ben Emmerson, representing Litvinenko's widow Marina, said that, at the time of his death, Litvinenko was working for Britain's MI6 spy agency and had been tasked to help Spanish intelligence investigate the Russian mafia. The U.K. probe must consider if MI6 failed to properly assess the risks before sending the agent out on his assignment, Emmerson said.
Lawyer Neil Garnham, representing Britain's Home Office, told the hearing he could "neither confirm nor deny" if Litvinenko was employed by British intelligence.
Meanwhile, Hugh Davies, the lawyer who advises the coroner in the inquest, told the hearing that a "high-level assessment" of confidential material provided by the British government established a case for the Russian state's culpability in Litvinenko's poisoning.
Litvinenko, a former Russian FSB agent, blamed the Kremlin - specifically Russian President Vladimir Putin - for his impending death, and his family has demanded Russian authorities be held accountable. Britain has accused two Russians, Alexander Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, of killing Litvinenko, but Moscow has refused to hand them over.
After the hearing, Litvinenko's widow Marina said she was encouraged.
"I appreciate all that was done today and I'm looking forward to any decision which will be taken by the coroner after today's hearing," she told reporters.
Inquests are held in Britain to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances. Inquests are meant only to determine a cause of death, so they don't apportion blame. But in Litvinenko's case every detail of the inquiry is being scrutinized for clues to the alleged involvement of Russia's secret services.
These games have been going on since the Cold War....it just used to happen way more frequently
Someone who works in international espionage, and practices deceit as an occupation should probably be aware going into the field that there are very real hazards to their life in their chosen line of work.Â
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I sincerely doubt there's ever going to be a 'smoking gun' found that can definitively tie his death to any nation. Frankly, so what if there is? Do you really think Putin is going to capitulate and say 'sorry', or offer his widow some compensation?
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He was spy, and he was a traitor to the former Soviet Union. What part of that equation does not seem hazardous to you, Ms Litvinenko?Â
The message - "Don't screw with the Russian mafia (Putin). We can take you out whenever & wherever you are."
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Simple as that. Who cares if you're MI6.
Russia will not turn over their spies after they killed someone who flipped to another side. It's kind of typical for all spy agencies to do that. Those two that did the poisoning better watch their backs. There will be retaliation.Â
spy vs spy- someone always loses their life