[Jacob Kell]

Did the guy really convert to Islam?

[spyone]

Heard this mentioned twice now. Let's get some press confirmation.

[kinoxi]

World Net Daily?

[Sender]

No, absolutely zero percent chance Litvenenko converted to Islam. His statements including from the deathbed were either entirely truthful or those of a Russian with an axe to grind. Case closed.

[Dallas59]

Well...if it's true that he was going to sell this stuff, then he deserves to be 6 feet under and rotting.

[gas0linealley]

I wonder how a buyer would determine if he was getting all that he was paying for?

[tophat9000]

Oddly this makes a more sense to me...

I had been wondering why in the world if the Russians wanted to kill this guy, why do in a so public way that leads back to them?...

There are far easer ways to kill one man quietly, and the Russians aren't so stupid to pin the killing on themselves unless they where making a public statement...and politically it didn't seem this was the time and place for such a public statement....It doesn't compute

[vladimir998]

For several days I have been down on Russia for offing this guy. Now, maybe not so much.

[Brad from Tennessee]

The Express is a tabloid that,like World Net Daily, leans toward sensationalism. Just because Litvinenko was attracted to Islam doesn't mean he was an Islamic terrorist.

[kinoxi]

Ridiculous.

[JasonC]

Notice the epidemic outbreak of the passive voice in all of these reports? Has been told, has been reported, is suggested, etc, etc. The Russians are simply dumping every piece of crap they can come up with on the story, and the press is repeating every word of it, always in the passive voice.

[cynwoody]

Polonium would not be an ingredient of choice for a dirty bomb. It needs to be ingested to do harm. It has a short half-life. It costs a bundle. Other sources, such as Cesium 137, emit penetrating radiation over long half-lives and are easier to buy or steal. Of course, Cesium's suitability for a dirty bomb also makes it harder to handle and transport without killing the bomber before he's ready for his virgins.

Polonium is useful for constructing a real nuclear bomb, however. A small capsule containing Polonium and Berylium in close proximity is placed at the center of the Plutonium core. When the shaped HDX charges surrounding the core are detonated simultaneously, the shock wave compresses the core to a critical mass, and the Polonium is pressed up against the Berylium. The alpha particles from the Polonium dislodge neutrons from the Berylium, ensuring that the chain reaction gets started properly.

Modern bombs use other types of neutron sources. The short half life of Polonium creates too much of a maintenance headache.

[muawiyah]

Not believing this story at all ~ it's simply part of another "disgruntled middleaged white male" thesis.

I'd put more credit in a story that had one of Barbara Hatch Rosenberg's little leftwing nutcase friends having gotten involved.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

I don't totally discount the possibility. Anna Politkovskaya the murdered Russian journalist covered everything from a pro Chechen perspective. In fact her anti-Putinness required that she be pro Chechen, much like the Democrats are pro Saddam. Since Litivinenko was on the same side as Anna, he may have had ties to Chechen Islamic groups. It's pure speculation, we will have to see.

[Dreagon]

So let me get this straight. Their theory is that somehow in an attempt to smuggle the poison, this guy INGESTED one of the most toxic substances on the planet? Anybody else see the problem here?

[Porterville]

I support Putin, have, still do, will in the future.

[cynwoody]

It seems quite clear to me that Litvinenko was murdered by the FSB. The only question is whether it was by Putin's order or was a "rogue operation" of some sort. If the latter, then who?

One of the bizarre theories is that Berezovsky did it, figuring it would be blamed on Putin. If that's the case, then Berezovsky must be making some people in the FSB very rich.

[Thunder90]

Another Putinist cheerleading article.

[zimdog]

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen passed off as "news".

[jonrick46]

This is just what I suspected. Litvinenko contaminated himself with polonium 210 while messing with efforts to create a dirty bomb. Since polonium 210 is easy to hide from radiation detectors, it makes a good candidate for use in a WMD device. It is very deadly and would cause havoc if sufficient quantities were scattered in a population area through an explosive device. The problem with polonium 210 is that it takes high tech methods to handle it. Litvinenko may have flunked nuclear physics class.

The blaming of Putin of some kind of poisoning was a diversionary tactic.

[mewzilla]

From Interfax, so consider the source...

Alexander Litvinenko confessed to his father to a wish to be buried as a Moslem