14 DAY TRIAL // Reports say that Russian Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian spy working for British Intelligence, may have been poisoned by Russian agents.
Litvinenko died in November 2006, possibly on assignment. He was poisoned with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210. According to Newser, the agent was staying at a hotel in London at the time.
During a hearing on Thursday, December 13, an attorney spoke on behalf of his widow, mentioning a mysterious poisoning incident that did away with her husband.
The coroner that handled the investigation of the agent's demise also employs an attorney. Hugh Davies has put forward the claim that the UK now has evidence of the fact that the hit was planned and executed by Russian secret service agents.
He cites a "high-level assessment" of the events that lead to the British agent's death. The inquiry allegedly reveals that the Russian state is accountable for the crime.
Lawyer Ben Emmerson discloses that he was on an assignment investigating the Russian mafia when he passed. The mission was a collaboration between MI6 and Spanish intelligence.
Emmerson points out that the probe must consider MI6's involvement in the death, bringing up their poor assessment of the risk involved in the dangerous operation.
Meanwhile, Britain's Home Office is still not admitting to claims that the former Russian FSB agent worked for them, stating that they can "neither confirm nor deny" his employment.
Before being killed, Litvinenko was vocal about his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and believed he was at risk.
Russian citizens Alexander Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun have already been pinpointed by British intelligence as responsible for the poisoning. Although reports do not mention whether or not they are part of Russia's secret services, Kremlin officials have refused to turn them over as of yet.