Russian prosecutors open murder case on Litvinenko

MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) Russian prosecutors today formally opened a criminal investigation into the murder of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko who died of radiation poisoning in London on November 23.

In a statement, the Prosecutor-General's office said they were also launching a criminal probe into the attempted murder of Dmitry Kovtun, whom they said had also been a victim of radiation poisoning.

The statement said that investigators, working with Scotland Yard detectives, had established that Litvinenko had died from poisoning by a radiaoactive substance.

Kovtun, who met him in London, was also found to be suffering from an illness linked with poisoning by the radioactive substance, the statement said.

REUTERS PDM KN1857