Radiation find in British embassy
BBC
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Small traces of a radioactive substance have been found at the British embassy in Moscow following a precautionary check, the UK Foreign Office has said.
But officials said the levels of radiation found would not pose a risk to public health.
It comes as British police said they were treating the death of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko as murder.
The former KGB agent's death on 23 November, in London, has been linked to the highly toxic isotope polonium-210.
"Detectives in this case are keeping an open mind and methodically following the evidence," Scotland Yard said in a statement.
"It is important to stress that we have reached no conclusions as to the means employed, the motive or the identity of those who might be responsible for Mr Litvinenko's death."
The British embassy announced on 4 December it would test one of its rooms as a precaution, after former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi visited the building to deny any involvement in the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko.
Mr Lugovoi and another Russian businessman reportedly met with the former spy in London on 1 November.
Italian contact
Earlier, Mario Scaramella, the Italian academic who met the ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko on the day he fell ill, was discharged from hospital in London.
Mr Scaramella was under observation after testing positive for polonium-210.
He had a meeting with Mr Litvinenko on 1 November at a sushi bar in central London.
A spokesman for University College Hospital said Mr Scaramella was not showing any symptoms of radiation poisoning.
The Health Protection Agency also confirmed that staff at the restaurant where the pair met had all tested negative for radiation.
