Britain confirms extradition request on Litvinenko

LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) British officials confirmed on today that a formal request had been made to Moscow for the extradition of Andrei Lugovoy, a former Russian agent charged with the murder of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.

''I can confirm that our ambassador has formally handed over the papers requesting the extradition of Andrei Lugovoy,'' a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

British prosecutors last week said they wanted to bring Lugovoy before a British court and charge him with poisoning Litvinenko in London last November. But Russia's constitution forbids it from extraditing its own citizens.

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