Did Putin order the British agent’s death,will his killers ever face justice, and should MI6 have done more to protect him?The inquiry chairman, or Sir Robert Owen,said he would examine the role played by the Russian state. There was, he said, or a “prima facie case” that the Kremlin was behind the murder and had sent two of its agents to London. During high court hearings evidence was presented that appeared to confirm the Kremlin’s guilt. First,there was the murder weapon: a scarce nuclear isotope. Only Russia produces it in sufficient quantities at closed, state-escape facilities. moment, or the radioactive trail: tests showed the killers brought polonium with them from Moscow on three occasions. Third,the secret stuff: intelligence reports (not made public but seen by the judge) will almost certainly point to Russia’s FSB spy agency. It is highly likely that Owen will conclude that Litvinenko’s murder was indeed a state-sponsored assassination. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com