I would be very surprised to find out that the KGB didn't develop a variety of methods for assasinating targets. If the objective is to make a public statement about opposing the Russian government but also have reasonable deniability this would seem to accomplish both objectives. Those who dare to oppose the Russian government recognize the handywork, whereas no government will be able to pin the smoking gun on Russia.

The alternative, that someone was willing to invest $1M to embarrass the Russian government, seems rather far fetched. Especially when considering that Russia really gains power through the action.

I am not going to say anything negative about the KGB or Putin. They might be watching this Blog.

I agree BooMan "Reasonable Deniability" is the key word. :-)

I also read that Plutomium 210 was difficult to detect and only UK had an agency with the equipment to do so. Meaning that the guilty one may not have expected the toxic source to be discovered.

What an intriguing story. And it just keeps gettng more intriguing. It would appear to the casual observer that Putin didn't do this.

Why? Because, this is a total "light up" of the entire spy network. Putin would stand to lose an entire network over something personal? No, I think someone wants to settle a score by exposing this network for all to see. That would eliminate Putin as a suspect.

There's the suggestion in this article that there would be much easier and cheaper ways to kill people, but I think this particular way of doing it may have been chosen because of the amount of suffering involved. He was around for a couple of weeks I believe, knowing he was likely to die, and suffering greatly from radiation poisoning the entire time. So it's not just a matter of how easy or how inexpensive alternatives may have been, in my opinion

"Reasonable Deniability"
Don't you mean Plausible Denial?

Either way, Russia is great, Russia is merciful. Russia is fair. Putin is a kind man

RE:polonium poisoning in britain

The way that man died was hideous and despicable,but it does raise some burning questions about airport security that need to be asked.

How could ANY radioactive substance even make it past airport security?

Why aren't there gieger counters in airports,especially when they aren't that expensive?(between 100 and 300 USD)

Are US airlines safe from terrorists using aircraft to do thier bidding with radioactive substances?

Somebody needs to address these questions before something even worse happens and to more people.It won't take long before Al-Queda or someone gets another epithany.

Two people so critical of the Russian government assisinated in such a short period of time. Hmmmm.

What???? This article runs counter to what I have been reading about Polonium. Polonium is 250 billion times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide and amount so miniscule that you can barely see is lethal. So I don't understand the crux nor the logic of this argument.

Russian agents used a nuclear WMD against a citizen in a primary NATO country. I think the only reasonable response is a massive NATO counterattack.

Polonium sold as isotope samples are by law too small to be dangerous. However manufactured goods are not limited in amount of radioactivity. For example there are 500 micro Curies of polonium in a 3 inch anti-static brush sold to consumers. Only 3 of them are needed for a fatal dose, if ingested. A determined killer could extract polonium and convert it to a form absorbed by the body. Almost anyone could have poisoned Litvinenko.

More likely he was done in by an ex-lover or possibly his wife. Isn't the spouse usually the suspect in murder cases. I say check for the money trail.

Looking at the big picture view of this situation. Polonium-210 is an alpha particle emitter that can cause human physical damage only when swallowed. The traces of "radiation" found in various spots of are actually remains of the source itself. This might imply that the handler of this radiation source carried it outside of a container allowing for cross-contamination. If this implied relationship is correct, then the handler might have known that radiation source was a danger to human life if swallowed but didn't know the exact nature of the radiation source. I don't feel the Russian government (Putin)would carry out such a sloppy assisination for a political agenda.

To answer the concern about why the radioactivity wasnt picked up in an airport - a geiger counter cant count alpha radiation which is what Po-210 emits - the radioactive "particles" only travel a minute distance - and can be stopped by paper.
Its only a hazard when ingested and put into contact with internal organs
There are detectors that can measure the "alpha" radiation but you would have to be within an inch of the material to see a tiny response on a meter from the amount needed to poison someone

He was probably smuggling it himself.

Tobacco smoke emits alpha particles. That's what does a lot of the damage to a smoker's lungs. Are the authorities sure they're detecting Polonium on the aircraft or just the lingering effects of a smoker?

It all makes you wonder....they never figured out what killed Arafat?? Was this it???

Putin is not a "nice guy". You don't get to the head of the Russian government and be a nice guy. He may not have ordered the specific hit, but he is accountable for all these recent assasinations. These are murders and the Russians are a murderous base population with a bloody history.

Why are people making a big deal about Russia making a targeted hit. Didn't OUR republican controlled government , just pass a law that gave Bush the right to assassinate anyone he wishes?????

The WikInfo is: "Since 210Po radiates 166 TBq per gram[22], a fatal 4-Sv dose can be caused by ingesting 8 MBq (200 microcurie), about 50 nanograms (ng), or inhaling 1.6 MBq (40 microcurie), about 10 ng."

Ten billionths of a gram is a vanishingly small amount. I wonder if the claims that you'd have to buy thousands of static devices to make a fatal dose are right? Does anyone know how much 210Po is in a static device?

Of course this is the smallest dose (on average) that Litvinenko could have gotten - I haven't seen reports that actually quantify it.

So his dose could have been much larger.

Let's negotiate with IRAN while they develop Polonium...

Remember it's America's fault that Iran is angry with the world!!

Pete...

Would you oppose assination of a terrorist with a dirty bomb strapped to his chest in Times Square on New Years Eve, if it would save the lives of hundreds of thousands and make NYC inhabitable for 100 years?

Of course not... you have "Principles"!

Ugh... the mind of the Leftist!

"...Didn't OUR republican controlled government , just pass a law that gave Bush the right to assassinate anyone he wishes?????

Well Booman they might be reading this but they must to know this things need to stop, if they are smart enough to kill someone who knows all mistakes they made as it says, they could be smart enough to face the situation and fix whatever they did wrong in a good way,and i'm wondering how ppl can sell this Polonium-210 on the net, that means anyone can get it, i'm not sourprised about what this world had become, hopefully one day we gonna realize what we need to do to make this world better.

News Flash, the guy who did it is now in a Russian hospital.

Wait... we ar talking about a spy right? Aren't spies supposed to get killed?

It's like part of the job description right?

It's not new worthy.

That's nice of the Council on Foreign Relations to go to bat for the Russians with a dis-information campaign. It's still operated by the same interests that financed the BLOODY Bolshevik Revolution. That ignored the warnings from the Austrailians about Pearl Harbor, that orchestrated Vietnam, and Neo-CONNED us into Iraq.

reply to Shanes comment:
technically such a law would give Bush the same power that most people claim Putin has; the power to assassinate whoever he wants, be it for political motoivation or any other reason. Unfortunately, when a political opponent gets killed in this country (the US) we can immediately look around for viable options to pinpoint our blame on someone else other than the most likely candidate: the US government.
if the US government can cover up a Pentagon conspiracy than what else can they cover up. remember, do not believe everything you hear, and question the things you see.
conspiracies are all around us in the tinniest of nitches, and they are put there for a reason.