Former Russian agent killed by 'tiny nuclear bomb': father
Nov 25, 2006 - 1:08:24 AM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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Litvinenko, a former colonel in the Russian secret service, defected to Britain six years ago and was recently granted British citizenship.
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By DPA,
[RxPG] London, Nov 24 - Former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko was killed by a 'tiny nuclear bomb' on the orders of the Russian government, his tearful father claimed in London Friday.
Walther Litvinenko, himself a physician, said: 'The regime got him. This regime is a mortal danger to the world.'
'Alexander was killed by a tiny nuclear bomb. It was so small that you could not see it.'
A statement drafted by Litvinenko was read out by his friend, Alexander Goldfarb, outside the hospital where he died late Thursday.
'You have succeeded in silencing one man, but this silence comes at a price,' Litvinenko wrote, addressing 'the person responsible for my death.
'You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your critics have always claimed.'
Litvinenko thanked the British government and police for 'taking me under their care'.
'It is an honour for me to be a British citizen,' his final statement, which Goldfarb said was dated Nov 21, said.
The former agent died, three weeks after he was allegedly poisoned during a meeting with Russian contacts at a London hotel.
A spokesman for London's University College Hospital said the 43-year-old died in intensive care after suffering a heart attack.
Litvinenko, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill after a rendezvous with two men, one of them believed to be a former KGB agent, in London on Nov 1.
He had also met an Italian academic involved in investigations to solve the murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow last month.
Russia has strenuously denied any involvement in his death.
Litvinenko, a former colonel in the Russian secret service, defected to Britain six years ago and was recently granted British citizenship.
Scotland Yard is investigating the case, which could harm relations between Russia and Britain, analysts said.
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