Dec 07 2006
Chechen Leader Zakayev Speaks Out: Threatens West
Another surprising outburst today from someone I would have thought would keep a lower profile as the news that the death of newly converted Muslim Litvinenko, who died while coming into contact with massive amounts of a nuclear material which can be used for creating a dirty bomb or in a crude nuclear bomb’s trigger, and who sympathized with the Chechen Islamicists, had turned towards a murder investigation. But apparently Chechen leader in exile, friend and neighbor of Litvinenko, and associate of oligarch Berezovsky feels the need to speak up – and illustrate is potential complicity:
An exiled Kremlin opponent accused the West on Wednesday of standing by passively as Russia passed laws allowing its agents to hunt down opponents overseas, saying these had led directly to the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.
Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev, a close friend of Litvinenko, accused Western countries of helping to strengthen a “criminal regime” in Moscow by their failure to stand up to President Vladimir Putin.
In case he hasn’t noticed or people forget, we have the same authority here for Bin Laden and Zawahiri and other Al Qaeda leaders. Just consider it our version of a Fatwah.
The macabre episode has strained relations between London and Moscow, and British police said for the first time on Wednesday they were treating it as a murder investigation.
Zakayev, a Chechen rebel leader whom Russia has tried in vain to extradite from Britain, confirmed he drove Litvinenko in his car on November 1, the same day the former agent fell ill. He said traces of polonium 210, the radioactive poison that killed Litvinenko, had been found several weeks later on the back seat where he sat. But Zakayev himself has tested negative for the substance.
Sadly we do not know when the traces were left and if they represent one trip in the car or more than one. With that said, a reminder of the potential Chechen involvement and their anger at the west, this sounds more like a rationalization about why something may happen to the West, becuase of their complicity with Putin:
“I think responsibility for everything that’s happening today in Russia lies not just with the G8 but all leaders of Western countries, European countries, who one way or another have helped to strengthen and establish this criminal regime in Moscow,” Zakayev said.
“The fact that Russian democracy and freedom of speech has been betrayed — the responsibility for that lies with those who today welcome Putin with outstretched hands and call him a crystal pure democrat.”
He said Western reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies was no excuse for passivity.
“Today Europe doesn’t just get energy from there (Russia). They get polonium 210, they get the dirty bomb, they get dirty money, they get corruption, crime,” Zakayev said.
Dirty Bomb? Why would he say something about a dirty bomb? Zakayev is building a case why Europe should expect to be seen as allies to Putin and Russia from a Chechen perspective. Zakayev is saying that Europe’s purchase of Russian oil brings these things with it. It is like saying these are the prices one must pay for not being pure to Chechen eyes. He is building the case for a a violent take over of Russia, and is calling on sympathetic people to see that action must be talen:
“If today, this country that occupies a sixth of the earth, on whose territory is concentrated tons of bacteriological, chemical and biological weapons, isn’t taken under control and questions aren’t asked about the responsibility of the man in charge and the government, that will be a danger for the whole world.”
What worries me most about this incident right now is the Polonium-210. It’s utility as weapon is severely time constrained. For either a nulcear bomb or a dirty bomb it only has so much shelf live. In a little over four months after it is produced it loses half its potency and is half lead. I would guess (and I am guessing) at that point it is not very useful in a weapon. At 2 months it loses a qarter of its potency. The Litvinenko poisoning was a month ago. This doesn’t leave this batch much more time to be of use to terrorists. If this was an assassin attempt then there is a problem that there could be a large source of Polonium out there somewhere. But that same problem exists if this is all about a smuggling effort for a very dangerous nuclear material. How much was brought into London? We know how much killed Litvinenko – enough to kill 100 people (at a cost of 30 million euro). Obviously that was not all the material given all the contaminated sites. When will the UK discuss this aspect of the situation – the left overs. How can we be sure Litvinenko ingest all the Polonium apparently smuggled in?
Ah–so we’re BACK to Kovtun as the suspected assassin?
Clarice, what if Lugovoi or Kovtun were not the assassins, though they were in on something; maybe they — and some kind of smuggling scheme, real or not — were just bait for Litvinenko.
I believe the shadowy “third man” (cue the zither music and Orson Welles) Vycheslav Sokolov may be the killer.
the third guy is named SOLENKO
oops make that Sokolenko! These names
Does anyone still suspect assassination? I am suspecting smuggling of dangerous material that caused deaths that are going to be charged as murder. Just like when one “accidently” kills a bystander in the course of a crime here.
update on Kovton CP you were right about the Russian source apparantly:
But Andrei Romashov, a lawyer for another key figure in the case, told The Associated Press that he contacted Kovtun‘s representatives after the report and they told him Kovtun‘s condition was “the same as it was when he met with prosecutors.”
Yes, you’re right: I meant Sokolenko. Sorry.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/12/c424ee96-41f7-4d3e-90a7-190b8ddfaced.html
If I smuggled something dangerous into the US and it somehow contaminated and killed people here, their deaths would be treated as murder. I believe the same thing is going on there.
Dr Michael Clark, spokesman for the HPA’s radiation protection division, said the levels of radiation found in the seven were less than that which had been identified in an adult member of Mr Litvinenko’s family, but were “approaching it”.
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/nationalnews/tm_headline=hotel-staff-positive-for-radiation&method=full&objectid=18227946&siteid=106484-name_page.html#story_continue
Yeah, Interfax started out as a bunch of dissidents who used fax machines to send “news” around because the official Soviet (still the Soviet Union at the time) press was so strictly controlled. Much of what they sent around was unsubstantiated rumor or just plain made up. They still haven’t lost that culture of “distribute first, verify later”.
As a matter of fact, the names of all three of the people at the meeting with Litvinenko was in the news back in late November. I believe it hit CNN on the 24th so nobody has been trying to hide anyone’s attendance at that meeting.
Ok so Lugovoi (the original smuggler allegedly and per this scenerio) smuggled it in and so since he is responsible for it being there he is responsible for the outcome to the others-IOW it could still be a work accident but legal niceties make it murder of the others who die from the spill – right?
CP, I still suspect murder, yes. I do think it was intended to be a massive hit, not just Litvinenko. More likely Berezovsky was the primary target.
But I think just the opposite of what you do: I believe that this is a murder with the elaborate cover of a smuggling operation, and that someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look that way and then get rid of a bunch of the players. I do not think they intended for the polonium to be discovered so early, and that part has been a big “oops!” to say the least.
Mariposa, it is possible that Kovtun and Lugovoy were not the assassins (Yes I still believe this was an assassination). It is possible that someone planted this stuff on them (perhaps in their suitcases or sctattered about their rooms, I suppose).
But if we trace the amount of contamination, it does appear that in order of amount..We have Litvinenko, Kovtun..then lower down Scaramella and the 7 bar workers, Lugovoy his wife and child(ren), and far further down pedestrians and occupants of rooms where the stuff has been traced.
“IOW it could still be a work accident but legal niceties make it murder of the others who die from the spill – right?”
That is the way I am leaning. Mind you I am not invested in any outcome. It is quite possible that it is the sloppiest government hit ever recorded, but that is low on my list when sorted by order of probability as evidenced by the details that have so far come to light.
I believe it was possible the Litvinenko was trying to investigate nuclear material being available on the black market from Russia. Possibly from Putin cronies. Maybe his purpose was to expose it, maybe his purpose was to profit from it by blackmail. Also plausible to my thinking would be smuggling to obtain it for islamist terrorists. Being a recent convert, he might have access. He certainly had access to a Chechen who might have access to terrorist networks.
The notion that this was some hit aimed at Litvinenko gets more and more far-fetched with every passing day.
Ok, let me ask this –
You are a black marketeer, your product is highly toxic. Your product is manufactured in Russia.
You make a deal to sell the highly toxic product for a large amount of money.
Do you:
1) Transfer all risks of transportation to the buyer at the factory (ie: product location)
2) Transfer all risks of transportation to the buyer 1500 miles away?
Clarice, I think that someone else was the killer, and that Lugovoi and Kovtun were just part of the cover and the lure to get into Berezovsky’s circle. Maybe the bulk of guilt and suspicion was intended to fall on them, and they have been purposefully contaminated.
This has been made to seem (per airline contamination and hotel on Oct 25) that Lugovoi bought it at the factory! and brought it over for whatever purpose…if he knew it was radioactive, for a rich guy with lots of “people” he sure took a lot of risks himself. Lots still hinges on the state of the Hotel Oct 16 – the Sheraton Parke Hotel I think.
Very good, enlightened.
Yes, Mariposa , that is growing increasingly likely.
As for the smuggling for the Chechens, I find it unlikely that one would smuggle the stuff out of Moscow for shipment to Chechnya. Look at the map.
the map looks pretty good for the Chechens or alq affiliates to use in London