Jan 05 2007
Another Polonium-210 Site Found In London
This has been a bad week for Londoners and those who visited the city last October. After a 4th hotel was implicated in the Po-210 trail and smuggling recently we find today another restaurant is added to the sites where Po-210 was tracked.
An Italian restaurant in Mayfair is the latest location to be contaminated with the radioactive element that killed the Russian former spy Alexander Litvinenko, it was disclosed today.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said polonium-210 had been discovered at the Pescatori Restaurant in Dover Street.
Staff there are being offered urine tests to see if they have been contaminated.
The restaurant is believed to be among the locations visited by three Russian men who met Mr Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair on the day he fell ill.
The fact that urine tests are being proposed indicates the contamination may not have been a minor ‘spot’ as authorities have described much of the trail. Of note is the comment about three Russian men who met Litvinenko at the Millenium Hotel. Two of these men are Andre Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun. The third person may be Sokolenko and it may be a yet identified 4th Russian.
But what is really key here is the timeline again. Recall that the meeting at the Millenium Hotel’s Pine Bar between Lugovoi, Litvinenko and Kovtun was late in the afternoon just before Lugovoi, his family and Kovtun left to watch the CSKA-Arsenal soccer game. There was no time for a trip after the Pine Bar to go to an Italian Restaurant. The last line reads “The restaurant is believed to be among the locations visited by three Russian men who met Mr Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair on the day he fell ill.”. This visit was on November 1st. It was not before the game and I doubt it was after the game (but it could have been). The interesting thing here is if it was where these three had lunch. Recall the Litvinenko had a meeting sometime before he met Scaramella at the Itsu sushi restaurant at 3:00 PM. Litvinenko then supposedly left Scaramella a little before 4:00 PM and dropped by Berezovsky’s office (though this is in dispute and tought to see time-wise) before going to the Pine Bar.
My theory has been Litvinenko met Lugovoi before lunch, picking him up at his room (since Lugovoi’s family was off sight seeing). Sokolenko was off sight seeing with his family. Lugovoi was to go on business meetings with Kovtun. Lugovoi and Litvinenko and, at times, Kovtun visited UK security firms when Lugovoi was in town. Three of these firms have shown signs of the Polonium-210 trail. I suspect the morning meetings for Lugovoi and Kovtun did include Litvinenko. And it was before or after these meetings Litvinenko was in Lugovoi’s room where the massive ‘spill’ of Po-210 occurred. Litvinenko went on to have lunch with Scaramella. And it would make sense Lugovoi and Kovtun decided to get something to eat as well – and they went to this restaurant. The timing here is very important because if Litvinenko was not honest with police about his whereabouts then it would indicate he knew (or suspected) what was the root cause of his illness. And if he knew and was trying to cover his tracks and protect the others then we have a clear indication something other than assassination was going on.
Just a side note. I have heard that Litvinenko may have been the one who sugested the Hospital check for Thallium poisoning. If that is true then it is possible the Thallium was a deliberate ruse to throw everyone off the Po-210 trail. Is it possible Litvinenko ingested a non-lethal dose of Thallium to provide a cover story for his medical treatment? There are strong indications that Litvinenko and others went out of their way to hide some of the key events in this drama. If it is determined Litvinenko tried to cover his tracks, then we should assume he tried as hard, and in as many ways as he could think of, hiding his tracks.
Also, another thing to note is the fact that the Scaramella investigation is exposing a side of Litvinenko which calls into question his credibility. Apparently it is coming to light that Litvinenko lied for Scaramella for money.
According to Maxim’s testimony, one of the last things he did for Scaramella was sit down in front of a video camera last spring in Rome and repeat an accusation that Prodi may have had ties to Russian intelligence.
Litvinenko sought assurances that the video would not be leaked to the press, and warned that he personally knew nothing about Prodi, Maxim told investigators.
But then, cameras rolling, Litvinenko said former FSB deputy chief Anatoly Trofimov warned him in 2000 that he should not move to Italy because Prodi was “one of their men”.
“My brother said he didn’t have any documents against Prodi or other Italian authorities,” Maxim told investigators.
“He said only that he had spoken with a general from the Russian secret services … (who) responded that in Italy there was Prodi, then-president of the European Commission, who was one of their men.”
Maxim said he was paid 200 euros (135 pounds) cash to translate on the day Scaramella recorded the video. Scaramella paid Litvinenko 500-600 euros to cover travel expenses.
If this is also proven to be accurate (and much of this is coming from Litvinenko’s own brother) I think it would be dangerous to take Litvinenko at his word. And the idea he was naive enough to think his false claims could be kept out of the media demonstrates Litvinenko was not the sharpest of dissidents. If he was working for Berezovsky and knew he probably faced death, what deals would he make to ensure his family was taken care of? If he would lie for a small sum of money, what would he die for?
Here is the announcement from HPA on the latest contamination site. Note ‘remediation’ was required. In other words they had to clean up the contamination, it was not safe.
Update:: It seems the restaurant is a popular location for Russian emigres and visitors:
The manager of Pescatori, Luigi Lavarini, told BBC television: “We have
no memory of Mr Litvinenko coming to the restaurant. We really don’t know who it could be.”Asked about Lugovoy and Kovtun he replied: “This name doesn’t mean anything to me. Nobody of this name appears on our reservation list.”
He said the restaurant had lots of Russian customers.
Wonder who else likes to dine there?
Major Update:: It seems the Pescatori restaurant is a haunt of Alex Goldfarb and Boris Berezovsky [translated by Yahoo]:
The close relations of Alexandre Litvinenko are persuaded that poisoning was orchestrated by the Kremlin.
IT IS ALMOST eleven hours of the evening, day before yesterday, when the portable of Alexandre Goldfarb, spokesman of Russian ex-spy Alexandre Litvinenko, sounds in the Pescatori restaurant, with two steps of the hospital University College, in London. Boris Berezovski, celebrates it deposed oligarch who contributed to the election of Vladimir Putin before being forced with the London exile in 2000, is at the end of the wire. Goldfarb listens, then turns to the scenario writer Andreï Nekrassov, another member of the circle brought closer to the ex-spy, who fades. ” Sacha died”, announces it calmly.
So Alex Goldfarb was with the media (nice PR move there) at this restaurant when he got the news about Litvinenko from Berezovsky. What a strange coincidence. Here is another translation from German.
Gotta Know ,
–On what kind of man Berezovsky was, in a paragraph.
Is he a Russian patriot, or sociopathic opportunist (or blend)?
I am not an expert on Russia, but IMHO in no way he is a Russian partiot. See http://www.russians.org/williamson_testimony.htm
–Assuming he was the locus for the smuggling operation,
what do you imagine he was doing? Is it old news that he
has been plotting the armed overthrow of the Putin government?
I have no idea. It might be an attempt to blackmail Putin. It might be an atempt to get rid of Litvinenko. It can be something else.
–Do you agree with several commenters (including myself)
that his relationship with the Chechnens was one of
convenience rather than ideologically based?
I would say he is probably a Machiavellian and they are not bound by any ideology if we think that desire to obtain and preserve/restore power by whatever means possible is not some kind of an ideology (like in Nietzsche’s concept of the Ãœbermensch).
An Italian restaurant LOVED by russian emigres. Could show you why an ITALIAN, like Scaramella would be in London. Visiting this “busy” crew.
IF London police did its job properly, they’d already have Berezovsky DEPORTED! No need even for putin to ask for extradition. Just the risk to the whole popultion!
And, not by BOMB. But by “fire.” The sort of fire that consumed Chernobyl. And, still keeps it UNINHABITABLE! Imagine if the survivors os “some such fire” would have to be evacuated out of London for ten thousand years? Enough to make grown men cry into their tea.
And, the government, with undo incompetence, would play along with ANYTHING that took men’s minds off such a catastrophe.
Well, what is war? And, what is “war like” when you can get London evacuated? Ha. Not just that imam terrified by radiation scares. And, he has access to the internal arabic chatter.
Sometimes, though, ya just gotta wonder.
Here we are in America; watching Libby’s railroading. Not just by persecution; but by a definite conspiracy that shows ya the media “elites” collude.
What is going on?
Try this on for size. Wommen, notorious for EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS, are now sitting on courts. Along with other flotsom and jetsum of affirmative action. So, it’s pretty much, now, part of the WEST.
The elites can’t win at the ballot boxes. So they distort stuff. Using the law.
In Israel? A qualified and ELECTED MINISTER, is tossed out by hysterical female judges who called him a liar, when a complaining female said he “kissed her.” And, he put his tongue inside her mouth. I don’t know about you. But tongues don’t go into my mouth, without permission. Since, it’s EASY TO KEEP MY MOUTH CLOSED.
When it’s open? BY CHOICE!
But in Israel? A few Laborites, who are weakening at the polls. Hope to gain entry into “job slots.” Curtesy of this EMOTIONAL HYENA STUFF done by a group of people who surely ‘weren’t elected.”
Blair is also about to “pay the price.” The coppers are questioning him again, about “taking bribes.” But they’re called, instead,
awards.” But money. Going into his pockets. And, he can exit government.
So, within England? Things are not so good.
And, IN America?
DEPENDS. Because after “sitting outside the courtroom” most of the day, Libby’s trial finally resumed. And, D. Bond, was the prosecution’s witness. (Should be WITLESS.) She “forgot” to take notes of Judge Titel’s worries that Libby wasn’t being given a chance to “see his notes.”) Never mind. She didn’t remember. She also didn’t know who was the CRIMINAL HEAD of the DoJ. But she said, after19 years experience with the FBI, “she could look it up.”
Yellow pages? No. Blue book.
Machiavelli tried to help his PRINCE rule. There was no question about that RIGHT TO RULE, either. Only how to behave.
Too bad, good advice becomes window trimmings, now, for utter failures. And, a population that has very little access to the real truth. Only those who read a few blogs are the wiser.
As to Berezovsky? Bad guy. And, that Italian restuarant? A favorite hangout, as mentioned, for old russian hands. As well as GOLDFARB.
I wonder what Goldfarb’s tab looks like (because he’s an American), every time he says he’s going abroad for some pasta.
When the moon hits your eye like a great pizza pie … You got a legacy that ain’t just about luv, honey chile.