Police hunt radioactive material in ex-Russian spy case
British police investigating the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have called in experts to search for radioactive material, Home Secretary John Reid has said."The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the death of Alexander Litvinenko which is believed to be linked to the presence of a radioactive substance in his body," he said in a statement Friday.
"As part of this investigation, the police have called in expert assistance to search for any residual radioactive material at a number of locations," he added.
Reid said health authorities would keep the public informed "as appropriate" but told anyone concerned to contact health professionals who have been briefed about the issue.
Litvinenko, 43, died of suspected poisoning in a London hospital late Thursday after a three-week fight for life.
His friend and spokesman Alex Goldfarb on Friday read a posthumous letter which he said Litvinenko had written earlier this week in which he directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being responsible in his death.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Reid's statement Friday stands at odds with a hospital statement Thursday in which doctors said it was "unlikely" that radioactivity was the cause of Litvinenko's condition.
They also ruled out an initial diagnosis of poisoning by the heavy metal thallium.
The public health body the Health Protection Agency were scheduled to hold a news conference on the Litvinenko affair at 3:00 pm (1500 GMT) Friday, Reid's statement said.
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