Alexander Litvinenko Assassination Theories

Alexander Litvinenko Assassination Theories

Several theories on the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko were circulated following his death from polonium 210 poisoning in November 2006. Alexander Litvinenko was a former officer of Russian Federal Security Service, who escaped prosecution in Russia and received a political asylum in Great Britain. He authored two books, Blowing up Russia: Terror from within and Lubyanka Criminal Group, where he accused Russian secret services of staging Russian apartment bombings and other terrorism acts to bring Vladimir Putin to power. On 1 November 2006, Litvinenko suddenly fell ill and was hospitalised. He died three weeks later, becoming the first known victim of lethal polonium-210-induced acute radiation syndrome. According to doctors, "Litvinenko's murder represents an ominous landmark: the beginning of an era of nuclear terrorism". Litvinenko's allegations about the misdeeds of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) and his public deathbed accusations that the Russian government was behind his unusual malady resulted in worldwide media coverage.