tea, anyone?

(Photo: ABC News) 

Like I said before, you can tell that American law-enforcement has had nothing to do with the investigation into the poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko because they seem to actually be solving the crime.  From ABC News's The Blotter:

British officials say police have cracked the murder-by-poison case of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, including the discovery of a "hot" teapot at London's Millennium Hotel with an off-the-charts reading for Polonium-210, the radioactive material used in the killing.

A senior official tells ABC News the "hot" teapot remained in use at the hotel for several weeks after Litvinenko's death before being tested in the second week of December. The official said investigators were embarrassed at the oversight.

Well, alrighty then.  I have heard it said that one morning Abraham Lincoln was served a cup of something that tasted so foul that he cried, "If this is coffee, bring me some tea!  If this is tea, bring me some coffee!" 

Coffee, anyone? 

The official says investigators have concluded, based on forensic evidence and intelligence reports, that the murder was a "state-sponsored" assassination orchestrated by Russian security services.

Officials say Russian FSB intelligence considered the murder to have been badly bungled because it took more than one attempt to administer the poison.  The Russian officials did not expect the source of the poisoning to be discovered, according to intelligence reports.

This would support Dr. Hillhouse's contention that Litvinenko's murder was outsourced.  She said it looked like a pretty sloppy job.  

Recent reports out of the UK now can trace Polonium-210 used to poison former KGB officer Litvinenko to not one, but two British Airways 767s that were used recently on the London-Moscow run.  The super-spies took the Polonium-210 from London to Moscow, then returned home with the leftovers--and given their trail, they were apparently in a doggie-bag.  A few days ago an expert in the field called the spies' tradecraft "really amateur hour."   With recent the recent developments, she wrote me back, "This has gone well past the Austin Powers level to Get Smart.   And when they finally trace it back to the FSB First Chief Directorate’s offices, it will be a cinch for the Inspector Clousseau Award."  (From "Why You Should Never Use Your Shoe-Phone After Stepping in Polonium-210")

As we addressed here, we may never know who "Vladislav", the alleged courier and button-man was, but it appears that it's former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi who's being charged with the murder.

Sources say police intend to seek charges against a former Russian spy, Andrei Lugovoi, who met with Litvinenko on Nov. 1, the day officials believe the lethal dose was administered in the Millennium Hotel teapot.

Lugovoi steadfastly denied any involvement in the murder at a Moscow news conference and at a session with Scotland Yard detectives.  Russian security police were present when the British questioned Lugovoi, and British officials do not think they received honest answers from him.  (The Blotter)

Interestingly, it seems to me that Lugovoi was one of the people pointing the finger at the Kremlin early on, but now I can't find the article. 

Of course, the rest of us are wondering how many people used that teapot after it was dosed with polonium.

British health officials say some 128 people were discovered to have had "probable contact" with Polonium-210, including at least eight hotel staff members and one guest.

None of these individuals has yet displayed symptoms of radiation poisoning, and only 13 individuals of the 128 tested at a level for which there is any known long-term health concern, officials said.

The Millennium Hotel has closed the Pine Bar and other areas where Litvinenko and Lugovoi met on Nov. 1, although the hotel says the remaining public areas "have been officially declared safe" and are open to the public.

Given the tangled skein of political, diplomatic, and criminal interests involved in this case, it should be fascinating to see on trial.  I wonder if they'll be able to pin anything on Putin and the FSB.