Poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko
Photo: Reuters
Investigation: Were Israelis poisoned like Litvinenko?
Health Ministry tries to locate Israelis who stayed in hotel where Russian spy was poisoned. Traces of poison polonium-210 found in Millennium Mayfair hotel employees. Experts: No threat to lives of those in contact with small amounts of poison, and who didn't swallow it
Could Israelis have been poisoned by the radioactive poison used to kill Russian spy Alex Litvinenko?
The Health Ministry received a list of 30 people who were staying in London's Millennium Mayfair Hotel when Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned. Lists have been passed around and efforts are being made to locate addresses and phone numbers of those staying in the hotel in order to notify them, and to recommend they get checked.
Litvinenko in Israel
The Times reports Alexander Litvinenko traveled to Israel just weeks before he died to hand over evidence to Russian billionaire of how agents working for Putin dealt with his enemies running Yukos oil company
British investigators suspect that Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium-210 while staying at Millennium Mayfair in the center of London, on November 1.
Traces of the radioactive substance were found in some of the hotel's employees, and there is concern that guests of the hotel were also exposed to small amounts of the poison.
The investigators passed on lists of the hotel's foreign guests to a number of countries. Among the countries who received a list are the United States, France, Germany, and Israel.
Professionals in the Health Ministry are holding consultations with Israeli and British radiation experts in order to decide which tests should be run on those who stayed at the hotel around the time of the poisoning. Furthermore, it has yet to be decided in which medical institution the tests will be done.
Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent, was one of the most prominent opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was poisoned with radioactive material and died a few days after.
Experts note that the poison is especially deadly when swallowed, and that danger to the lives of those who came in contact with the poisoned man is low.
