Dec 11 2006
The Emerging “Dirty Bomb” Theory
Finally we are seeing some people using science, analysis and logic to address the fact we have a series of sworn enemies of Russia, who are aligned with allies of Al Qaeda, turning up exposed to massive amounts of Polonium 210 (compared the amount needed to kill one person), a material used in nuclear bomb triggers and a good candidate for a dirty bomb:
Therefore, without sounding as unhinged as the conspiratorial hordes that we seek to expose, we must seriously consider the possibility that Litvinenko was not assassinated but died after somehow exposing himself to Plutonium 210. The “dirty bomb†theory is one of the most likely means of exposure. Plutonium 210 has certain industrial uses that make it relatively easy to obtain; however, Litvinenko was not involved in any business that would have had a legitimate reason to use Plutonium 210. He was, however, intimately involved with a Chechen terrorist organization that had, in the past, made a “dirty bomb†from radioactive material similar to Plutonium 210. The possibility, therefore, exists that Litvinenko was at some point in a location where Plutonium 210 was being used to assemble a terrorist weapon. Such a prospect is far more disconcerting then your simple, run of the mill, Kremlin-ordered “hit†of a political dissident; and it is a possibility which should be explored by the British government and the civilized world.
Indeed it is. One thing not being reported is whether anyone thinks they have accounted for all the Polonium 210 associated with Berezovsky’s long time associates (Litvnenko and Lugovoi). These are not Putin’s people. A dirty bomb is a realistic option in this case.
BTW CP the Times is full of stories reflecting tensions between the Brits and Russia about this case.
Clarice
Hasn’t ever looked that way to me. Contrary, we could be witnessing a duplicate of what happened in 2002 — and Litvinenko could’ve been in the role of Yuli Dubov.
Either Litvinenko was attempting to expose Putin’s illicit nuke trading or perhaps Lugovoi or Kovtun were on an operation to ensarl Boris in a nuke deal to get him in hot h2o in Britain.
But I am not buying Boris –after notifying authorities of one attempt to sell nuke to him — would suddenly 180.
He has no reason to do that, ts. Too dangerous, Too stupid. No gain.No reason to.
He hates Putin, thinks the country is going down the drain, but I doubt that means he wants a dirty bomb to go off there.
Via the NYTimes
The link I left above makes it sound like the second car he USED was in some sort of accident…just a thought, but maybe some p210 was compromised in an accident as he’s kept it on his person, and maybe he didn’t realize it was?
I could swear I saw a report that the BMW was at his ex-wife’s place and is where the traces were found on the childs seat belt…he could have used the car more than just being “met” at the airport.
I recall there were 2 cars with PO found in front of the apt bidg.One had been totalled and brought there. Perhaps it was secreted somewhere in that car..too little info to know. But if we knew when the car was totalled, it might tell us when he was contaminated. OTOH he may have entered the car after the crash .
Oh dear, yet another sees the Sakhalin take over in a different light than cp–
“Shell’s experience of Putinisation reinforces the sense that Russia is a gamble. Foreign companies have to work on the principle that a contract with Russia is, these days, little more than a memorandum of understanding.
In time, Russians will discover that Muscovite capitalism is not to their benefit either. No company, in Russia or anywhere else, has sufficient management and technical expertise to build alone the scale of infrastructure required to run a modern economy, let alone meet the world’s expectations for Russian energy exports. The Russians will end up paying for inefficient exploitation of their energy assets.
Russia will remain an uncertain arena for investment. This may change after the elections in 2008, when Vladimir Putin, if he can resist his Tsarist urges, will step down. But the problem will not necessarily go away: one possible berth for Mr Putin after the presidency is the chairman’s office at Gazprom”
Times (UK)
“Boris Berezovsky, the multimillionaire living in exile in London and an outspoken critic of President Putin, is prepared to meet Russian investigators being sent to London if the Moscow authorities stop obstructing Scotland Yard’s hunt for the assassin of Alexander Litvinenko.
Mr Berezovsky and Akhmed Zakayev, the Chechen dissident who lived in the same North London street as Litvinenko, are among the friends, family and associates of the murdered former KGB agent who are ready to help British detectives make progress with their investigation in Moscow.
Alex Goldfarb, a friend of Litvinenko, said of the exiles sheltering in Britain: “None of them trusts a Russian investigation.
“They will only talk to the Russians in London if the British request that they do it or to help the British get access to witnesses.â€
Mr Goldfarb said that Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, and other exiles also want assurances for their own safety from the British authorities. ”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2499942,00.html
Logovoi was questioned by Russian prosecutors today in British presence. He insists he’s merely a witness, not a suspect.
they showed footage on tv las night of the car they were looking at and it had clearly been in a bad accident, the front was sevely damaged and i would be surprised if the occupants had not been injured.
Also channel 4 news said the interviews with Lugovoi had been ‘ not satisfactory’
Well, the Brits were not allowed to ask a single question, so I’ll bet it was unsatisfactory.
It seems there are many things going on between Russia and the UK
Shell has just had its shares in Sakhalin seized, The Ambassador is being harrassed – i wouldnt be surprised if he get recalled to London(once the investigators leave) it seems Russia doesnt care about international relations now that europe is dependent on them for energy.
It was said from the start that the Russians would actually be doing the questioning. The Russisans said that, I believe, before the inspectors even left. They said they would conduct the questioning and the British inspectors would be allowed to be present.
Seems the Germans have pretty much the same take on things that I have:
The poisoning of Gaidar is not being talked about much but – it seems to me – this could have been an attempt to bolster suspicion on Lugovoi – without actually killing Gaidar
Sebastian Pflugbeil is part of a private organization; I do not think that plow hatchet as his name translates speaks for anyone but himself.Nor do I believe from a quick look at his background that he has any special expertise in assassins and their techniques.
I still think it was the money. And, I’d bet EURO’s. Because you needed something people would pocket. In old-used-bills. That circulate.
Perhaps, it was done by one gang of smugglers TO another? That’s frequently how the mafia “wars.” Territorially. And, for taking the business away from another “family.”
No. I’m not a scientist. So I have no idea how you expect ordinary Euro’s to contamination. But IF IT WAS DONE THIS WAY, most people who handle money, don’t “see” what they have. Let alone how I once read, mostly ALL American money in circulation has residue of cocoaine on it.
So the MODE? Giving something to Litvenenko that he’d COUNT. Pocket, some. Deliver other “SUMS” to BorisB. And, what if Scaramella GOT MONEY FROM Litvenenko? Besides, what was in the e-mail, that took the parties tripping over “to the big guy?” And, then, the e-mail is copied. Contaminating the machine.
Add a McGuffin, “tea-cup” and people who get paid to be detectives, and think they’ve “closed the case” and they go home at night.
In Sherlock Holmes, Watson tries so hard to “solve stuff.” And, Sherlock just laughs. With the line, when Watson is amazed: “It’s Elementary.”
Here? You need people to be comfortable PASSING stuff.
How would you get five bartenders, EXCEPT WITH THE TIP CUP?
And, then the wives? They take money from their husbands. Even in many are NOT in the loop. Because they’d talk too much.
I’d bet the Swiss Bankers are figuring out ways to check their cash supplies. And, then? THEY WON’T TALK! Do you know why? Can you imagine frightening the average citizen about the cash that gets dispensed through ATM’s? And, by now, at half-life, it’s not as harmful as it once was.
The other “benefit?” As far as terrorism goes. IF people are looking for exploding debris; wouldn’t this be a test to see if you could pass “terror” by the money supply?
Who’da thunk it?
Carol, the tainted money idea explains some things, and that idea about the tip cup is ingenious, but why would Litvinenko be so massively contaminated? Has he had the Po tainted money for some time and that is why he died so quickly? The only thing that is weird about that is that his disease process really does follow what is expected with severe and sudden Po-poisoning. The money would not be likely to contaminate him so fast (like CP said).
If Kovtun had an accident with the Po and realized he was contamined, he might have taken the rest of his stuff and dumped it on Litvinenko for some reason. It would unhinge a person, to know they were most likely going to die soon. However, if that were true, he would be very sick now, of course.
LitD, I am wondering if Litvinenko was dosed intentionally with a large amount in his tea, while the others were contaminated peripherally — just from being around the stuff — exactly like the two British police officers and the seven bar employees from the Millennium.
I had not thought of a money trail in regards to a smuggling operation, if polonium 210 is worth as much as everyone claims it would be. Upwards of $30 million is the price range I see quoted, and that does seem to be a huge lot to cover.
Contaminating the money itself — unless it was destroyed, or is in Russia — would also affect a large number of people, not least among them bank employees as it is spent. Not saying it wasn’t done, but I think with the alarm sounded and the general public on alert now, there’s a better chance that people might notice.
I am also coming to believe that if a smuggling operation involved Lugovoi, in particular, that it was some sort of state operation — an overlay. In thinking on his family history and his pride in their military background, to me it does not fit that he would turn against Russia.
CP, I agree with Clarice, that we will all see so much conjecture in the press from journalists, investigators, and politicians that some of it will fit almost any theory that’s circulating. At this point, that means very little.
The Kremlin seems very unconcerned in tracking polonium from its entry point in Moscow, and it is past odd to me that they aren’t informing the public as other nations are. Only asking three hours of questions of one “witness” in more than a week appears to most reasonable people to be stonewalling when everyone else is breaking their figurative necks in pursuit of some very dangerous, unsecured material.
See you all this evening.