Scotland Yard Rejects Accidental Nature of Litvinenko’s Polonium Poisoning

London Police do not believe that former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko was exposed to polonium by accident, a lawyer for the Commission of Police said in his closing statement at the UK inquiry into the case.

LONDON (Sputnik) — Richard Horwell dismissed what he termed as the "theory" that Litvinenko might have been poisoned by accident due to his supposed involvement in the polonium trade since there is no evidence that the deceased had direct access to polonium.

Litvinenko defected from Russia to the United Kingdom in 2000. In 2006, he fell ill and died soon after drinking tea with his former colleagues Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun at the Millennium Hotel in central London.

UK authorities claim that Litvinenko was poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210.

Both Kovtun and Lugovoi deny involvement in Litvinenko's death. Moscow has denied applications to extradite the two suspects to the United Kingdom where they would face immediate arrest.