Murdered ex-KGB agent to be buried in London

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) The body of murdered former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died of radioactive poisoning, will be buried in a private Muslim ceremony in London today.

Litvinenko, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in a London hospital on Nov. 23 accusing the Russian leader of involvement in his death -- an accusation that Russia denies.

He had converted to Islam a few days before his death.

Litvinenko's urine was found to contain massive doses of deadly polonium 210, traces of which have since been found in several locations in central London.

Britain's embassy in Moscow also said yesterday small traces of radiation had been found on its premises, but that they were too small to be harmful and declined to say if the radiation was polonium 210.

British police, who said yesterday they were now treating the death as murder, have sent a team to Moscow to question witnesses who met Litvinenko in London.

They are expected to question businessman and former KGB spy Andrei Lugovoy who met Litvinenko in London on November 1 -- the day he fell terminally ill.

While admitting to meeting Litvinenko on November 1, Lugovoy -- who has been checked for radiation contamination -- has denied any involvement in his death.

British police and investigators from Russian Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika's office yesterday questioned Dmitry Kovtun who was also at the November 1 meeting.

The small group of detectives who arrived in Moscow on Monday were virtually relegated to the role of observers by Chaika who has publicly insisted Russian authorities will direct interviews on Russian soil.

Mario Scaramella, an Italian contact of Litvinenko who met him separately in London the same day, said yesterday as he left a London hospital which had been monitoring him for polonium poisoning he was well but awaiting the test results.

REUTERS PDM KN1507