Radiation in Germany linked to spy case

December 9th, 2006

Hamburg, Germany - Radiation has been detected in two buildings linked to a Russian businessman who met the murdered ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko on the day he fell ill.

Radiation has been detected in two buildings linked to a Russian businessman who met the murdered ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko on the day he fell ill.

Police said Kovtun's own apartment was not contaminated with polonium, but another apartment belonging to his 31-year-old German ex-wife in the same building showed signs of radioactivity.

Kremlin critic Litvinenko was killed in London by a lethal dose of polonium 210, a radioactive substance. British and Russian authorities have opened murder investigations.

Kovtun traveled to London from Germany on November 1st to meet Litvinenko. It is not clear where he was between Litvinenko being taken ill and his own admission to hospital.

German police said neither Kovtun nor his ex-wife nor her mother were suspects in the investigation but said the ex-wife had been questioned.