Litvinenko Inquiry Centers on 12 Sites

Found on NPR on Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Browse Politics

British police investigating former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko's death in London say they have found traces of radioactivity at 12 sites in the city -- and in five aircraft, as well. The Kremlin has consistently denied any involvement in the death of Litvinenko, who blamed President Vladimir Putin for his death.

In Parliament, Britain's Home Secretary John Reid linked the contamination in London to polonium-210, the radioactive element found in Litvinenko's body. He said that about 24 sites were being investigated, and 12 of them had shown traces of radioactivity.

The investigation also includes five aircraft, two of which have been confirmed to be contaminated.

Some 30,000 people have flown on those two aircraft alone since police believe they became contaminated a month ago. Police are focusing on four flights between London and Moscow from the end of October into early November, but the aircraft used on those flights have taken at least 200 other flights, carrying thousands more passengers since then.

Isn't it kind of funny that you get locked up for bringing a bottle of water into a plane, while you can obviously fly with radioactive elements without problems? Hooray for increased security.