Italian in poison spy case leaves London hospital

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) An Italian contact of poisoned Russian Alexander Litvinenko was today discharged from a London hospital which had been monitoring him for radiation poisoning.

Mario Scaramella had been admitted to hospital last Friday after radioactive polonium 210, the same poison that killed former Russian agent Litvinenko, was detected in his body.

But doctors had said Scaramella had received a much lower dose than Litvinenko and was not showing any symptoms of radiation poisoning.

Speaking to Reuters after being discharged from University College Hospital, Scaramella said he felt well but was waiting for results from his latest urine analysis due out tomorrow.

''I'm fine. I'm sure of that. What I'm waiting for is the official analysis on my urine sample,'' Scaramella said.

The Litvinenko case has strained relations between Britain and Russia, which denies his deathbed accusations that the Kremlin ordered him killed.

Scaramella emerged as a central figure in the case because he met Litvinenko in a London sushi bar on Nov. 1, the day the Russian fell ill.

REUTERS BDP MSJ RAI2320