Ex-Russian spy dies mysteriously

He said he was poisoned, but the cause hasn't been found.
LONDON (AP) -- A former Russian spy who said he had been poisoned died Thursday night at a London hospital, after a mysterious and rapid decline that left doctors puzzled over the cause of death, officials said.
Alexander Litvinenko, a fierce critic of the Russian government, had suffered heart failure and was heavily sedated as medical staff struggled to pinpoint what had made the 43-year-old critically ill.
"The matter is being investigated as an unexplained death," London's Metropolitan police said in a statement.
The former spy said he believed he had been poisoned Nov. 1, while investigating the slaying of another Kremlin detractor -- investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. His hair fell out, his throat became swollen and his immune and nervous systems were severely damaged, he said.
Just hours before he lost consciousness Tuesday, Litvinenko acknowledged in an interview with The Times newspaper of London that he would likely die and claimed the Kremlin was directly involved in his poisoning.
"This is what it takes to prove one has been telling the truth," Litvinenko was quoted as saying.
Some toxins probed
Doctors at London's University College Hospital said tests had virtually ruled out poisoning by thallium and radiation -- toxins once considered possible culprits behind the poisoning.
"The medical team at the hospital did everything possible to save his life," hospital spokesman Jim Down said, confirming the Russian's death Thursday night. "Every avenue was explored to establish the cause of his condition, and the matter is now an ongoing investigation being dealt with by detectives."
Earlier in the day, as hospital officials reported that Litvinenko was deteriorating rapidly, family and friends rushed to his bedside.
Friend Alex Goldfarb joined Litvinenko's wife, Marina, his son Anatoli and the former agent's father at the hospital.
"He went into a cardiac failure overnight, and the hospital put him on artificial heart support," Goldfarb said. "He's on the ventilator, he's getting artificial resuscitation."
Government blamed
Anti-terrorist police were investigating the poisoning, which friends and dissidents also allege was carried out at the behest of the Russian government. Litvinenko sought asylum in Britain in 2000, and has been a relentless critic of the Kremlin and the Russian security services ever since.
Litvinenko also publicly linked the Kremlin to Politkovskaya's death while speaking to London's Frontline Club media group last month.
"Somebody has asked me directly, who is guilty of Anna's death? And I can directly answer you: It is Mr. [Vladimir] Putin, president of the Russian Federation." Litvinenko told the group at the Frontline Club.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.