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.
More good stories out today. Sorry I’m not synopsizing or clipping quotes because I’m still in the middle, so it’s every man for himself here:
Was soft-drink entrepreneur used as a cover by Litvinenko assassins?
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2060004.ece
The Litvinenko affair
A remarkable plot
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8401580
Doesn’t it seem more likely that a “Chechen” dirty bomb would strengthen Putin, it might be reasonably said that the earlier Chechen bomb-in-the-park achieved just this goal and a “plot” by disaffected Russians in London would have the same effect.
So, set up two friends of Litvinenko who are close to BorisB and poison Sasha with the “dirty bomb” material. I’ll again add that it’s easier for a government to get hold of Po210 for free than a bunch of non-governmental conspirators.
Until we see a money trail, as Enlightened pointed out, I’ll believe this was a goverment sponsored plot… and probably an assassination.
Until the trail of Po-210 widened as it did, I was also a fan of the assassination theory. It’s a flamboyant way to kill someone, but the KGB often was, and I expect the FSB to be the same.
But “wet work” is precisely targeted. This wasn’t. It reeks of smuggling.
And why smuggle? If you have a legitimate buyer, there would be no real problem with shipping the Po-210 openly. But if you were up to No Good….like a dirty bomb, or (Heaven help us) an initiator for a fission device…..well, that would be precisely the sort of thing that you WOULD smuggle.
And it’s worth bearing in mind that there has been speculation that the Chechens are in league with Al Quaeda.
Found a fabulous article on Lugovoi! Is Lugovoi who he says he is, or is he an agent?
Scroll especially to the bottom to read about his connection with Pershin, the drinks (kvass) manufacturer.
http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1152
Kovton in Hamburg – as everybody knows Hamburg is a major port – now if some of the PO was going on a ship from Hamburg where would it go? US? Mercedes ships cars out of Bremerhaven – that I know for sure but what I don’t know is if ships go from Hamburg to US normally -just a wild thought – though why they’d bother with ships when they were comfortable transporting the stuff on planes I have no idea.
“But “wet work†is precisely targeted. This wasn’t. It reeks of smuggling.”
MikeM. — maybe, maybe not. Wouldn’t that depend upon a lot of variants, including — the training and overall quality of the agents involved, whether or not they knew they were dealing with a radioactive material, and whether or not much is known at all about using polonium 210 as a poison, even if the agents involved did know it was radioactive?
“And it’s worth bearing in mind that there has been speculation that the Chechens are in league with Al Quaeda.”
That’s true, and I don’t discount it, but it’s also worth speculating that any terrorist group could be in league with A-Q. And I repeat that not all Chechens are terrorists, just as all Irish are not IRA.
meant to add Bremerhaven is the normal port for shipping containers from northern Germany to US – Bremerhaven is about 2 hours from Hamburg on a major autoroute.
Germans are looking for the taxi driver who took Kovtov to the airport so that they can check his taxi for contamination and then any people who may have been sitting on the seats if the taxi was contaminated – die Welt
Der Spiegel is saying that the German prosecutors believe that Kovtun brought the stuff outside his body because the contamination that they are finding is still strong many days later so it must have somehow stuck to him like dust…
Eine Kontaminierung, die so stark sei, dass man sie auch viele Tage später noch nachweisen könne, komme nicht aus dem Körper, sagt Strahlenschutzexperte Urban. “Das hat sicher außen am Körper gehaftet wie Staub.”
Is anyone able to get http://www.axisglobe.com on their computers now?
The site suddenly went down.
I just accessed it, Mariposa.
Thanks, Clarice, I got it back too.
Axis News is back up again and reporting that Lugovoy finally met with the investigative teams.
Lizarde, they also have another story denying involvement of any Israeli investigators.
http://www.axisglobe.com/news.asp?news=10038
Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoy has been questioned as a witness in the case of the murder of former Russian Security Service (FSB) officer Alexander Litvinenko for about three hours today, news agency Interfax reports. Lugovoi himself told the Interfax he was questioned by representatives of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in the presence of Scotland Yard detectives. The interrogation was held at a closed Moscow hospital, where Lugovoy is being treated, informed sources told the news agency. This morning Lugovoy told the ITAR-TASS news agency by phone that he was feeling himself “normally†and was interested in a meeting with the investigators.
After the questioning the businessman said he gave answers on all investigators’questions and was ready to meet the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and Scotland Yard representatives in case it would be needed. Lugovoy also said today he was not going to publish results of the medical examination he had undergone at a Moscow hospital last week, Interfax writes.
It’s interesting to read the German experts talk about this in interviews because they are more interested in asking questions about how this could happen than the British accounts – the experts seem to be saying that if you just sealed a powder or suspension in liquid in a zip lock freezer bag and closed it properly it shouldn’t leave a trace and further they are saying that if you did have an accident with it you could get rid of the traces just by showering handwashing and changing your clothes and so you wouldn’t leave a trail on airplanes and in cars etc. etc. They are puzzled by all of this…and use the phrase dilitantism (sp?) as a possiblity.
Mariposa – that article at Axis about their Israeli story was pretty amusing
Lizarde, true, their translations lead to interesting phrases, but I found Axis News tries follow a large number of stories and sources without too many dramatics. They seem thorough, but I don’t know much about Axis.
Does anyone know more about AxisNews? I read the “About Us” link, but don’t know the journalists involved.
“Wouldn’t that depend upon a lot of variants, including — the training and overall quality of the agents involved, whether or not they knew they were dealing with a radioactive material, and whether or not much is known at all about using polonium 210 as a poison, even if the agents involved did know it was radioactive?”
You don’t send someone with a material as dangerous as this to kill someone as sensative as this whose death would garner such world attention who isn’t highly trained. Would you send someone to kill someone with a bow and arrow who doesn’t know how to use one? Would you send someone to shoot someone who doesn’t know how to use a firearm? The assassin would need to know his weapon if only to decide when/how would be best to use it.
An assissin could put a large dose in the tea becase there is no guarantee how much of it the target would drink. If he wants to be sure of a kill even if only a single sip is taken, then one might up the dose. If Litvinenko then went on to drink the entire cup, bingo, massive dose.
This cross contamination makes it unlikely to me that it was done as a professional state hit. Contaminating another country’s capital city and possibly poisoning its citizens would generally be regarded as an act of war and I don’t believe Russia would be prepared to risk that simply to kill Litvinenko.
I don’t think they thought it would be tracable so quickly–that it would vanish into lead –as so many other mysterious “posonings” of Russia’s critics.
I think the notion of the UK going to war with Russia is preposterous, even though this is certainly an act of war if done by another state.
It is also preposterous to think that a group of shadowers followed Kovtov and Lugovoi around sprinking PO around including in private apartments in Hamburg and vicinity – shadowers would not have wasted their time in Hamburg in late Oct. since contamination was already in London by Oct. 16 associated with Lugovoi and Kovton
Perhaps they opened thte container several times to remove stuff to kill Litvinenko and in so doing left a trail–