Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 11, 2008 5:23:44 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Brits: Russia Played Role in Ex-KGB Agent's London Murder

Posted Jul 8, 08 6:29 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – The murder of a former KGB agent in London 2 years ago was carried out with the support of the Russian government, British government sources have told the BBC. There are "very strong indications it was a state action," said one senior official. Alexander Litvinenko, who was mysteriously poisoned, was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin.

British security agency MI5 believes it thwarted an attempt from Russia's FSB, heir to the KGB, to kill another Russian dissident last year, the sources said. MI5 officials have expressed concern that large numbers of Russian covert operations in the UK are continuing despite the end of the Cold War.

Source BBC

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Russia Claims US Citizen Provoked War

    Sep 3, 08 12:16 PM CDT
    Russia Claims US Citizen Provoked War To support its claims that US intelligence agents played a role in the Georgian conflict, the Kremlin has produced a US passport belonging to an Army veteran from Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. They say the passport was found in an outpost used by Georgian special forces. The alleged spy, Michael White, is an English teacher in China.
    More »

  • Industrial Spying Charges Deepen Russia-UK Flap

    Mar 20, 08 4:43 PM CDT
    Industrial Spying Charges Deepen Russia-UK Flap Two brothers, one with ties to a UK-Russia joint oil venture, have been arrested in Moscow and accused of industrial espionage, the BBC reports. Ilya and Alexander Zaslavsky were charged after yesterday's raid on oil giant TNK-BP, but analysts say Russia's interest in the matter goes beyond spying, as the country angles to re-assert control over its oil industry. More »

  • Russian Claims He Was Asked to Kill Litvinenko

    Dec 9, 07 12:03 PM CST
    Russian Claims He Was Asked to Kill Litvinenko Onetime KGB agent Mikhail Trepashkin has said that a former colleague attempted to recruit him for a state-sponsored plot to kill Kremlin foe Alexander Litvinenko, who died of poisoning in London last year. Trepashkin will detail his allegations before the European human rights court, supporting the case that the Russian government killed Litvinenko, the Times of London reports. More »

  • Poisoning Suspect Runs for Parliament to Dodge Jail

    Sep 17, 07 6:45 AM CDT
    Poisoning Suspect Runs for Parliament to Dodge Jail The Russian businessman accused of using radioactive polonium-210 to poison a critic of controversial President Vladimir Putin is trying to dodge prosecution by running for parliament, the London Times reports. The Kremlin has already refused to hand Andrei Lugovoi over to British officials, saying it would violate the Russian constitution. But if Lugovoi becomes a member of the Duma, he would also be immune to domestic prosecution. More »

  • Lugovoi Claims Brits Killed Litvinenko

    May 31, 07 9:18 AM CDT
    Lugovoi Claims Brits Killed Litvinenko The man Britain has charged with killing former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko says that British Intelligence is behind the poisoning. At a dramatic news conference yesterday, Andrei Lugovoi, also former KGB, claimed that Litvinenko was a British agent who was killed by his handlers. And he accused Boris Berezovsky, a Russian expat critical of Putin, of being complicit. More »

The Russian businessman whom Britain has named as a suspect in the killing of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Thursday, May 31, 2007.   (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Marina Litvinenko, widow of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko who was poisoned by Polonium 2-10, is interviewed by the Associated Press in London, Friday, June 1, 2007.   (AP Photo/Sang Tan)
Former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Russia  • espionage  • Alexander Litvinenko  • poison  • spy  • KGB  • MI5


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »