LONDON (AP) — A U.S. diplomatic cable reports a claim that Russian agents were on the trail of the killers of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, but were fobbed off by British intelligence.
Litvinenko died in London in 2006 after ingesting radioactive polonium.
British authorities named former KGB officer Andrei Lugovoi as their prime suspect. Russia denies involvement and has refused to extradite him.
The 2006 cable quotes Russian envoy Anatoly Safonov as claiming "that Russian authorities in London had known about and followed individuals moving radioactive substances into the city but were told by the British that they were under control before the poisoning took place."
It was leaked through the WikiLeaks website and published Sunday by Britain’s Observer newspaper.
