Former Russian agent poisoned in London: Reports

LONDON, Nov 19: British police are investigating a suspected plot to kill a former Russian spy by poisoning him with thallium, a deadly metal, the Sunday Times reported.

The paper said Aleksander Litvinenko, who defected to Britain six years ago, was fighting for his life in a London hospital.

Litvinenko was granted British citizenship last month. One of the highest profile defectors from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), he is on a wanted list in Moscow where he has made powerful enemies with his criticism of President Vladimir Putin, the Sunday Times said.

A police spokeswoman refused to go into details but said: ''Officers from the Specialist Crime Directorate are investigating a suspicious poisoning. No arrests have been made.

Inquiries are continuing.'' She said: ''His condition is serious but stable.'' The Mail today said Litvinenko was taken ill on November 1 while investigating the recent murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who had criticised Kremlin policy on the rebellion in Chechnya.

The newspaper said he was poisoned after a secret meeting with an associate at a sushi bar in London and having received documents which claimed to name Politskovskaya's killers.

REUTERS