Dec 01 2006
Now If it Was An Assassination Attempt On Litvinenko…
I have been exchanging emails with a very interesting person who agrees with Clarice Feldman and disagrees with me on whether this entire event was an assassination attempt or not. The reason this person is interesting is she is a well known liberal writer and, while disagree on the motivations, she and I agree on all the questionable reporting. Well this person just emailed me one of the best theories I have ever seen that explains HOW the Polonium-210 might have been delivered so as to kill and leave little trace, and to get Scaramella and Litvinenko and Berezovsky all at once.
The creator of this excellent theory is none other than Raw Story’s Larisa Alexandrovna, and she presents her theory here at her blog:
Now many people have argued that because this is so obvious, it could not have been Putin or FSB without Putin. But people fail over and over to grasp what I have already reported and believe given the people with whom I had talked: this was not meant to be traced, they thought they could get away with it. So, if you had something that you thought no one would be able to trace and you wanted to take out three very visible targets, would you not do it? Ah, exactly, FSB would do it, but they must have miscalculated on the dosages.
…
If Mario is not involved, but contaminated, what did he share with Alex and when? The same question applies to Alex’s wife. What was it, a cup? No, because Mario did not go home to visit Alex’s family.
How about this:
A cigarette. In fact, a cigarette would be an extremely powerful way to distribute the polonium via air, causing another to inhale it. But since the only people that would inhale for any real duration would be people in close proximity to the victim, it is certain to do the trick as smoking at most places is not allowed and also because in small vapor qualities it would not be necessarily lethal, so not too much of a danger to the British public, although somewhat of a danger if things went badly.
This a bit of brilliant thinking. I mentioned myself that if Litvinenko and Scaramella were exposed at the same time, an airborne agent would make sense with the lesser (more dispersed) dose for Scaramella. In the true sense of serendipity, I was sent an email a few days ago by blogger AJacksonian regarding an 1987 study regarding Polonium-210 found in Syrian cigarettes. At the time I dismissed this since Polonium-210 is a natural element and it can be found in lots of places – but the point is it can be hidden in cigarettes (I of course emailed this to Larrisa).
Now if we combine Larrisa’s theory on the delivery mechanism with reader Crosspatch’s notes that Polonium-210 would best be brought in disoved in an acid-salt (probably in crystal form since liquids can be dodgy these days on plays) we have enough pieces to put together a good scenario. The Polonium suspension is possible what spilled in the Millenium hotel. Once in a liquid form of sufficient density of Polonium it one would simply need a syringe to deposit some of the suspension down the center of a cigarette and there you go.
Now do I believe this is what happened? Nope. But it is the first good theory that shows a sophisticated assassination plan, not some half baked one. I do not think the air plane contamination can be explained this way. And cigarettes would not explain the contamination in the planes or the Hotel where the Russians where staying. But you have to admire the beauty of the concept!
What I have is this:
‘Litvinenko also meets with Andrei Logovoi, a former KGB agent, and Dmitry Kovtun, another Russian, in the Millenium Hotel to discuss “business.‒
There was apparently also another meeting on October 17.
Then there is this:
And this from earlier in the same article:
Various stories:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1857932,00050003.htm
http://www.etherzone.com/2006/raim112906.shtml
Fantastic, 5-pp. story in the Sunday edition of the London Times. I’m in the middle of it now, but ran over to share the link:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2484295,00.html
Great article so far, I like this:
” Last week one British security source advised The Sunday Times to consider the unpleasant fate of Roman Tsepov, a businessman and former bodyguard to Putin, whose death from mysterious radiation poisoning in 2004 has startling similarities to that of Litvinenko.”
I would say it might be time to have an extended visit with Mr. Andrei Lugovoi.
Good article here too:
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1792032006
Just read the Times article. I’m back to the contaminated document theory, what was Scaramella’s schedule, who did he see, what’s the event timeline for the documents? Second choice, polonium tea with Lugovoi.
Yeah, it is looking like Lugovoi is somehow very significant in all of this and has also been laying a trail of contamination wherever he has been going since late October. He got one heck of a dose to get so sick so fast. The others involved who have shown any signs of internal polonium will likely develop cancers soon.
It is certainly a relief to me if this is Lugovoi going around poisoning people. At least a stop can be put to it.
“He got one heck of a dose” was refering to Litvinenko.
AJ….research this name Roman Tsepov, a businessman and former bodyguard to Putin…..he died in 2004 under very similar circumstances….. he is mentioned in a Sunday Times article.
My first comment didn’t show up so let me try again……Research Roman Tsepov, a businessman and former bodyguard to Putin he died under very similar circumstances as Litvinenko in 2004.
Mariposa
Thanks for the kind words.
I still believe that this polonium came from Iran for the Chechens. The Iranians would be sloppy about seals and such. Remember the Chechens had a dirty bomb in 1995 and as far as we know are the only ones whoever had one. I think this was a trade gone bad.
Litinvenko, in a letter written to someone he called Zapaca (sp) in 2003 (which has mysteriously disappeared from the Chechen website and in fact everything for that period has disappeared) was very much into the Chechen independence and with the terrorists. Witness he converted to Islam recently. Probably as a safety precaution since he was surrounded by Chechen Islamic terrorists. A big time leader lived across the street from him and was friends ? with him.
I think Lugozov is in dire straits now or even dead. He must have taken a larger dose then Litvinenko according to my theory. I wonder if the Russians will ever let us know his fate.
I wonder how the Brits can say with authority where this polonium came from. Is there some kind of bell that rings when polonium is made?
While there are certainly Chechen terrorists, not all the Chechens are–many just wanted independnece and Putin played on it to brutally suppress that.
It was just chance that the hospital found out he was poisoned with polonium. As in a similar case with another Russian Khalov, poisoned in 1987 with radioactive thallium.
The Times story indicates how difficult it was to determine that Litvinenko had polonium poisoning–Here’s just part of the reason why it was so hard:
“THE more that emerges about Litvinenko’s death, the more polonium is revealed as an extraordinary weapon for assassination. Though it leaves a radiation trail, this is of usually benign “alpha†particles that do not register on normal geiger counters. The assassin or assassins may have gambled it would never be detected.
There are three basic types of radioactive particles or rays: alpha, beta and gamma. Gamma are generally regarded as the most deadly because they are a powerful penetrator of solid objects. Alpha radiation, on the other hand, can be stopped by something as thin as a piece of paper or skin.
“As far as I know this is the first person ever to have died of an overdose of alpha radiation,†said Nick Priest, the former head of biomedical research at the Atomic Energy Authority. “I can’t think of any other case where a lethal dose has been administered by alpha radiation.â€
Only if a substance emitting alpha particles gets inside the body and dissolves into the bloodstream does it slowly wreak havoc.
This is why doctors treating Litvinenko when he fell ill were baffled. He exhibited classic signs of radiation poisoning, including vomiting, hair loss and organ failure. But when they tested for gamma radiation with a geiger counter, they found nothing unusual.”
As for the radiation in Berezovsky’s office about which AJ was so concerned: It appears Lugovoi was there the morning of Nov 1, sat on a white couch where they found polonium.
Litvinenko stopped in their briefly in the afternoon where the docs he got from Scaramella were xeroxed..polonium was found in the copying machine which indicates the docs had polonium on them. If the docs had polonium on them, that might explain how Scaramella ingested it.
The story also indicates Lugovoi made several trips to London from Moscow in this period–and in late October met Litvinenko at the Itsu Sushi restaurant. He knew that was a favorite dining spot for him.
It is possible that Lugovoi was acting as a courier carrying material to the Chechens too. That might explain the frequent meetings and frequent travel between the UK and Russia.
These days, I don’t believe it was such a “chance” that the alpha radiation was found. When he was diagnosed with radiation sickness and it turned out to not be gamma emissions, the head nuclear folks were brought onto the case. That was for a reason. They were going to find the source of radiation. There are really only four forms, alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron. The tested for gamma and found nothing, probably tested for neutron and found nothing, then tested for alpha and found it.
If the patient is suffering from radiation sickness, it can only be caused by one of the four things so it doesn’t hurt to check for all four in order of likelyhood. It only takes a minute to do each test. Before 9/11 they might have not tested for alpha radiation but these days they would have.
“I still believe that this polonium came from Iran for the Chechens. The Iranians would be sloppy about seals and such. Remember the Chechens had a dirty bomb in 1995 and as far as we know are the only ones whoever had one. I think this was a trade gone bad.”
I believe that is a valid scenario but there is one caveat. Polonium doesn’t last very long. If the Chechens were preparing another dirty bomb, the material would have had to be accumulated rather quickly because in a space of 4 months, half of it would be lost. If it was coming from Iran to the Chechens, it would seriously jeopardize Iran’s nuclear program if discovered because Iran depends on Russian help in their nuclear program.
I have also read at least one report that the polonium was of Chinese origin which I somewhat doubt.
I think one thing is consistent in all the reports. The polonium arrived in London from Moscow on October 25.
I find it unlikely it began its journey in Iran.
There is no evidence that the bungler in the Millenium was Chechen . There is no evidence that the stuff was delivered to Litvinenko except by unwitting ingestion.
Keep hope alive, CP.
Lugovoi admits he’s been contaminated with polonium:
“This weekend a potential suspect — Andrei Lugovoi — admitted he had been contaminated with the radioactive poison polonium-210 but insisted: “I’ve been framed.â€
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234017,00.html
“I think one thing is consistent in all the reports. The polonium arrived in London from Moscow on October 25.”
I can’t reach that conclusion yet. I believe I can say that Lugovoi contaminated his seat on a flight from Moscow on October 25 but I am not ready to say he was carrying polonium with him from Moscow. He had also made a trip and had met with Litvinenko on October 17th. That guy seems to be a walking polonium contamination machine. So he was in London on the 17th, went to Moscow, and returned to London on the 25th. Maybe some of those other planes were contaminated by his earlier flights.
Yes, I read that he was contaminated. I don’t doubt it. He was apparently contaminated before he met with Litvinenko. But what we don’t know is if he was contaminated on the 17th. I believe there is some evidence that he was (contamination being found where he stayed on the trip of the 17th.).
So a Mr. Hot (Lugovoi) visits BorisB in the am of November 1 (at the most conservative, perhaps Mr. Hot was there a few days earlier, leaving his Po210-ia pet with friends, or both times), and Sasha (Mr. Veryhot) visits in the pm.
I feel like I’m backstage watching the puppetmaster, must he not know something of all this polonial-maniacle scheming by his retainers, what does he know, what exactly are they discussing after all?
Would ol’ Scaramella also have paid respects to BorisBadinov and, if no, just where was he before asking Sasha for their unexpected meeting?
That bit about Lugovoi having gone to the sushi place with Sasha is an unfortunate detail, but suppose he told someone about this – BB say?