Spy death figure tested for radiation
(AP)Updated: 2006-11-29 10:43
A coroner will perform an autopsy on Litvinenko's body Friday, "subject to appropriate precautions," to try and pin down the cause and circumstances of death, said the local authority responsible, Camden Council. Doctors had sought expert advice on whether Litvinenko's radioactive body posed a threat to the doctors and technicians performing the post-mortem.
A coroner's inquest will be opened Thursday and then adjourned until the police investigation is complete, the council said.
Detectives on Tuesday continued to retrace Litvinenko's steps Nov. 1.
Traces of radiation have been found at six sites, including the central London office of Boris Berezovsky, the self-exiled Russian billionaire and Litvinenko's mentor.
In a statement, Berezovsky said he had "complete faith in the British authorities and the police."
Litvinenko's friend Andrei Nekrasov told The AP that Litvinenko frequently visited Berezovsky's office to use the telephone, computer or photocopier.
"Berezovsky's office was open to him informally," Nekrasov said. "His routine typically consisted of moving around, hopping on a bus, meeting people. He was trying to be active and needed."
Polonium-210 also was found in a building in the posh Mayfair neighborhood that houses Erinys UK Ltd., an international security and risk management company that Litvinenko visited the day he fell ill.
Police also have found traces of radiation at a bar in London's Millennium Hotel, a branch of Itsu Sushi restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, Litvinenko's house in North London and a section of the hospital where he was treated.
Police said Tuesday they were searching two more Mayfair addresses - a building at 58 Grosvenor St. and Sheraton Park Lane Hotel. A spokeswoman for Britian's Health Protection Agency confirmed that experts had already conducted tests in "key public areas" of the hotel and found no risk of radiation poisoning.
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