President Putin 'probably' approved Litvinenko murder

[Syt]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35370819?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook

President Putin 'probably' approved Litvinenko murder

The murder of former spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 was "probably" approved by President Vladimir Putin, a public inquiry has concluded.

Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea.

Chairman Sir Robert Owen said it was likely Mr Putin signed off the killing following a long-running feud.

Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina said she was "very pleased" with the conclusion.

Speaking outside London's High Court, she said "the words my husband spoke on his deathbed when he accused Mr Putin have been proved by an English court".

Two Russian men, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, have been accused of his murder. They deny killing him.

Sir Robert said the two suspects were probably acting under the direction of Moscow's FSB intelligence service.

Singling out then-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev, alongside Mr Putin, Sir Robert wrote in the 300 page report: "Taking full account of all the evidence and analysis available to me I find that the FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin."

In other news: Pope probably Catholic, bears probably prefer defecating in forest areas, and water is probably not, repeat: not dry.

[crazy canuck]

If he had said it was a certainty the Russians would have had an easier job discrediting the inquiry.    The most that could have been said is that he found it probable.

[The Minsky Moment]

Next can they figure out whether the Russians were backing the Ukrainian separatists?  I'm on pins and needles on that one.

[Malthus]

Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea.

Clearly, he said the wrong thing when asked what he'd like in it.

[MadImmortalMan]

This stuff is more effective when everyone pretty much knows who did it. Otherwise, people wouldn't know who to be intimidated by.

[The Minsky Moment]

Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London in 2006, days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea.

Clearly, he said the wrong thing when asked what he'd like in it.

"I said 'ice' not 'isotope'"

[Richard Hakluyt]

A relatively cheap inquiry at just over £2m.

The BBC, for example, has spent about £10m on whether Jimmy Savile was a pervert or not (the answer? Yes, but we didn't notice).