Sunday, February 04, 2007

New Evidence Might Tie Litvinenko's Death to a Jihadoterrorist Nuke Effort

From Battalion of Deborah:
by Paul L. Williams and Jeffrey M. Epstein

New evidence has come to light that Alexander Litvinenko may have been involved with Islamic terrorists in the preparation of tactical nuclear weapons for use in the jihad against the United States and its NATO allies. Litvinenko, a former KGB agent, died in London on November 23 after ingesting a microscopic amount of polonium-210.

Investigators have now uncovered the following:
Litvinenko was a Muslim convert with reported ties to radical Islam.

The former Soviet spy masterminded the smuggling of radioactive material to Zurich in 2000. This finding was corroborated by Mario Scaramella, one of Litvinenko's business associates.

Litvinenko became closely allied with Boris Berezovsky, a Russian billionaire who established close ties with the Chechen leaders, and Chechen leader Ahmed Zakayev. Both men served as pallbearers at the funeral. Several years ago, Berezovsky boasted to the press that the Chechen separatists had acquired a portable nuclear weapon that lacked one "minor" component. That component, Scotland Yard officials now believe, was polonium-210. In a deathbed statement, Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the poisoning -- an accusation which the Kremlin has vehemently denied.

The denial was contradicted by the fact that polonium-210 is a rare radiological substance that is man-made by bombarding Bismuth-209 with neutrons within a nuclear reactor. It is expensive to produce and difficult to handle. Polonium-210 is also rare -- fewer than four ounces are produced annually. All of the reported production comes from Russian reactors. This amount is purchased annually by the United States, simply to keep the substance from leaking into the black market. Several rogue nations have been suspected of clandestinely producing polonium-210 for nefarious purposes. A quantity was detected in Iran by IAEA inspectors and in North Korea by U. S. airborne samplings. When Russian officials resorted to nuclear poisoning in the past -- including the assassination of two Swiss intelligence officials who were engaged with Russia and South Africa in the nuclear black market -- they relied on such readily available radiological substances as cesium-137 in salt form.

According to nuclear expert David Morgan, killing a spy or political dissident with a grain or two of polonium-210 is as ludicrous as shooting a rat with a howitzer. Indeed, if Litvinenko was a victim of radiological assassination, his murder would represent the costliest hit in human history with a price tag of $30 million.
Litvinenko, who was born an orthodox Christian, was a convert to Islam with close ties to the Chechen rebels. His last words consisted of his desire to be buried "according to Muslim tradition."

This wish was not fulfilled. The former spy was buried in a plain wooden coffin from a London mosque but was sealed in a Jacobean oak Garratt casket and laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery -- not the day after his death -- but on December 7, 17 days after his mysterious demise. The imam refused to allow the casket to enter the mosque because of fears of radiation contamination.

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to suitcase nukes that were developed by U.S. and Soviet forces during the Cold War. Reliable sources, including Hans Blix of the United Nation, have confirmed that bin Laden purchased several of these devises from the Chechen rebels in 1996.

According to Sharif al-Masri and other al Qaeda operatives who have been taken into custody, several of these weapons have been forward deployed to the United States in preparation for al Qaeda's next attack on American soil.

The neutron source or "triggers" of the reported suitcase nukes are composed of beryllium-9 and polonium-210. When these two elements are combined, the alpha particle is absorbed by the nucleus of the beryllium causing it to decay by emitting a neutron. Such "triggers" were a feature of early nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Soviet stockpiles.Polonium-210 has a half-life of 138 days, necessitating the replacement of the triggers every six months. For this reason, the suitcase nukes are far from maintenance-free. In addition, the nuclear core of these devises emit a temperature in excess of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit -- further exposing the weapons to oxidation and rust. Small wonder that al Qaeda operatives including Adnan el-Shukrijumah, who are spearheading "the American Hiroshima" have received extensive training in nuclear technology.

Polonium-beryllium triggers are packaged in foil packs about the size of a package on sugar on a restaurant table. When the twin foil packages are crushed, the elements mix and the neutrons are emitted. A courier transporting nuclear triggers could have had a mishap causing the packages to rupture and a trail of contamination to occur.

Polonium-210 is a fine powder, easily aerosolized. Litvinenko could have inhaled the powder, or had a grain or two on his fingers when he ate the sushi.

The most probable source of the polonium packets, according to investigators, remains North Korea. The nuclear bomb which was tested by North Korea on October 9, 2006, registered 4.2 on the Richter scale -- displaying an explosive yield of five to 15 kilotons. The Bush Administration dismissed the test as a "fizzle." But the explosion matched the yield of a Soviet Small Atomic Munitions Device (SADM), such as a suitcase nuke with a plutonium core.

A dozen associates of Litvinenko have displayed symptoms of polonium poisoning. The list includes Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB colleague of Litvinenko, who met with the deceased at the Millenium Hotel in London on November 1, 2006, the day Litvinenko became ill; Dimitry Kovtun, Lugovoi's business associate, who attended that meeting; Mario Scaramella, an Italian security consultant, who had dinner with Litvinenko the evening of November 1 at the Itsu Sushi Restaurant; and Litvinenko's Russian wife, Marina.

Traces of the lethal substance have been found in Litvinenko's home in Muswell Hill, two London hotels, and two British Airways 757s.

In an interview with The Independent shortly before the poisoning became public, Scaramella said that Litvinenko had been involved in the smuggling of radioactive material to Zurich. He also said that black market dealings in radioactive isotopes provided Litvinenko with badly need revenue to meet his living expenses. Litvinenko's father said that the former Soviet spy had converted to Islam before his death. He told the press: "He [Alexander] said I want to be buried according to Islamic tradition. I said okay son. It will be as you wish. We already have one Muslim in our family. The important thing is to believe in the Almighty. God is one."

Original Source
Here's my previous report on this issue. I've been reporting on this longer than anyone in the blogosphere, as far back as December 15, 2006. I also interviewed Paul Williams on this subject on my radio show in early January. Listen here.

Reliapundit counter-argues: Fascinating, Pastorius - and you're not alone in thinking this way, obviously, but IMHO this is nonsense. WHY?!? SIMPLE: If Lugovoy and Kovtun were part of a nuke-making cell then they would NOT have returned to Russia when the shit hit the fan. The ONLY rational explanation for their return ius that they worked for Putin. Otherwise their involvement in smuggling Polonium OUT of Putin's Russia would have been dealt with HARSHLY. Sheesh. AND WHY IN THE HECK WOULD BEREZOVSKY WANT TO NUKE THE UK OR THE USA!?!?! Double Sheesh. HERE'S A TRIPLE SHEEEEESH (with extra "eee's"): the Polonium would not have COST Putin a penny it's the FSB's for the TAKING! AND ONLY ONLY ONLY THE FSB COULD GET IT FOR NOTHING. Everyone else would have to pay thought the nose - and worry about a sting. And folks building a bomb could have gotten the Polonium elsewhere - other than from Russia - less risky places. THEREFORE: this theory is - IMHO - BS.

We have real foes out there; there's no need to invent bogus ones.

11 comments:

  1. pasto - what could smuggling radiological crap into ZURICH in the year 2000 have to do with an "American Hiroshima"!?!?


    and if berezovsky was financing a nuke to use against russia, then why make the nuke in the UK!?!?!? why not... russia/chechnya/gernamy!?!?!?!?\


    this FASCINATING theory of yours and the equally EMINENT and RESPECTABLE aj strata is BS - imho.

    check out my additional comment to your post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't know what you event you are referring to in 2000? Sorry.

    Russia is helping Iran build its nukes. It is not completely insane to think that Putin wouldn't much care if terrorists had gotten their hands on suitcase weapons and the Polonium to repair them.

    Putin is not stupid. He knows what Iran's intentions are.

    And, you know that too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. By the way, I think you should be happy that I'm posting this here. My theory makes logical sense, RP, and you know that.

    I'm not saying I am right. It's a theory.

    I could turn out to be correct, and then you have something else to brag about.

    I'm way out on a fucking limb here, and it isn't because I'm making up bogey men, it's because no one else had the fucking sense to put two and two together.

    Give me some credit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1 - i give you credit - and say it's a fascinating theory.

    2 - the post mentions litvinenko and zurich and 2000. READ YOUR OWN LINK.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Reliapundit,
    The point Williams was making was that this was not the first time Litvinenko was suspected of smuggling Polonium.

    Lord knows what the point was in 2000.

    But, if I am not mistaken the CIA has been aware that Bin Laden has been seeking nukes as far back as 1998.

    ReplyDelete
  6. zurich; polonium; 2000.

    but er um.... it has a short half life and as a trigger needs to be loaded in the suitcase bomb relatively near to the time you want tom use it... no!?!?!? AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY YOU LIKE.

    was there a suitcase bomb he and berezovsky were working on in zurich in 2000!?!?!?!

    highly unlikely.

    and if the "radioactive material" litvinenko was smuggling was NOT polonium, then what!?!?!?!?

    this six year span (between zurich and london) makes it MUCH LESS LIKELY that he and boris were nuke-bomb making.

    since the Po would nopt have cost putin a penny, and since he has had others assassinate, and because he is aiding iran an syria... well THEN WHY IS IT SO EFFIN HARD FOR YOU TO ACCEPT THE LIKELIHOOD THAT HE IS INVOLVED INN THIS!?!?!

    i think the polonium suitcase-bomb trigger theory is too sexy for you and aj strata to give up on it.

    but occam syas it's putin.

    if lugovoy was an anti-putin fella - or a rogue/opportunist then he wouldn't have returned to russia. NO WAY.

    end of story.

    all the best!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Reliapundit,
    It isn't that the theory is sexy, although I can understand how you might assume that.

    Here's why I am stuck on it. When the reports came out about the Polonium, I had speculated in the following manner: wouldn't it beinteresting if Polonium turned out to be the element of a nuclear weapon which needs to be maintained?"

    Well, turns out I was right. Ok, so here you have someone smuggling Polonium which just so happens to be the most unstable element in a nuclear weapon, into the UK for the purpose of killing one man.

    Now, you say that the $30 million dollar hit is no big deal to Putin. Ok, but the thing is, Polonium is so expensive, precisely because it is so hard to produce. The US buys all of Russia's Polonium because they don't want it getting out.

    Therefore, is Putin allowed some to be set aside for a hit on Litvinenko, then the US would have known that there was missing Polonium.

    Additionally, it would have been $30 mill out of Putin's pocket, because he is used to the funds coming from the US for the entirety of his Polonium production.

    As for the speculation that Litvinenko was smuggling Polonium into the UK in 2000, that has nothing to do with the current situation. The only reason it was brought up is because, if it is true, then it shows there was precendent for this kind of behavior by Litvinenko.

    So, that would presumably make it a little less likely that we ought to believe the Putin hit theory.

    Of course, if Litvinenko was involved in smuggling Polonium in the past that also might be all the more reason to kill him with Polonium because then maybe people would believe that it wasn't a hit, but instead a botched smuggling job.

    I agree with you that Occams Razor says it was Putin.

    However, if that is true, then why did the British police order 20,000 radiation suits and body bags recently. They said it was in preparation for a radiological attack, but I say, don't believe that. Why? Because a radiological bomb will only disperse radiation within the same blast area that a traditional bomb would disperse nails and rat poison. In other words the blast impact area would be relatively small.

    In fact, few people might die from a radiological bomb than from a nails and rat poison bomb, and they would almost certainly diee a slower death from Leukemia.

    ReplyDelete
  8. pasto:

    you ASSERT without proof that:

    "if Putin allowed some to be set aside for a hit on Litvinenko, then the US would have known that there was missing Polonium."

    false on its face - for it would be getting out one way or another, no? wither with putin's approval or without. unless you assert he is helping boris and ltivinenko and the chechens!!?!?!?!?

    the 20,000 suits were a precaution based on hypothesiizing as you did.

    i do NOT think scenario-building is a bad thing. i just think in this case it doesn't add up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The article posted here says that less than four ounces of Polonium are produced annually and that the US buys it all.

    The US buys it all because they don't want it getting out to anyone. Presumably, this means, they do their best to keep tabs on it.

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  10. very little was used to kill litvnnko.

    VERY very little. an amount not missed until it's too late.

    the fact that both the usa and "ussr" govt's keep tabs on it makes it MORE likely that it had to an inside job; getting it would be easy for putin; next to impossible for anyone else.

    give up.

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  11. Win at any cost (including illogic) is not a wise bet when you are playing for ultimate stakes.

    ReplyDelete