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Scotland Yard hunt for 'Igor the assassin' as Hain breaks ranks to attack Putin by STEPHEN WRIGHT Last updated at 09:17am on 27th November 2006 A ruthless assassin known as Igor is being hunted over the poison murder of a former Russian spy that yesterday threatened to spark a fully-blown diplomatic row. The trained killer - part of a group of ex-KGB spies called 'Dignity and Honor' - was named in a document passed to police by Alexander Litvinenko shortly before he lost consciousness and died. More here: Sushi bar man is nuclear waste expert <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_articl\ e_id=418642&in_page_id=1770> In Alexander Litvinenko own words: Why I believe Putin wanted me dead... <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_articl\ e_id=418652&in_page_id=1770> The 46-year-old, a former member of Russia's notorious Spetsnaz special forces, is a key suspect wanted for questioning over the death of the KGB defector, who was poisoned with radioactive polonium 210 - a toxin 250 billion times deadlier than cyanide. The document was passed to Mr Litvinenko at the sushi restaurant where he is thought to have been slipped a lethal dose of the substance. The papers reveal that 'Dignity and Honor' are loyalists waging their own Cold War campaign against critics of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The document is understood to contain an extraordinary hitlist with 43-year-old Mr Litvinenko a prime target. The hunt for Igor came on another day of dramatic developments in the case: Hundreds of people fear they have been contaminated as dangerously high levels of radiation remain at a hotel visited by Mr Litvinenko on the day he fell violently ill. Leading Cabinet Minister Peter Hain risked opening a major diplomatic row by accusing President Putin of attacking liberty and democracy. Police, who expect to launch a formal murder inquiry in the next 48 hours, will shortly fly to Rome and Moscow to quiz three men who met the ex-KGB colonel on the day he died. Igor, whose full identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons, is said to be a judo master who walks with a slight limp after an accident. Slim, muscular and 6ft tall, he speaks perfect English and Portuguese - and has been trained to kill. Security services and police believe he is in hiding in Italy. The hitlist was given to Mr Litvinenko by Italian academic Mario Scaramella, who had been tipped off about the activities of 'Dignity and Honor' by another KGB defector who is under the protection of the French secret services. The hunt emerged as concerns increased about the number of people who may have been contaminated with the deadly substance. The Daily Mail can reveal that 'worrying levels' of radiation have been discovered in the men's toilets and three bedrooms at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square, where Mr Litvinenko had a further business meeting on the day he fell violently ill. The traces of polonium 20 are said to be far higher than those discovered by experts in the Itsu sushi restaurant in Piccadilly, where Mr Litvinenko was apparently poisoned a few hours earlier on November 1. Whitehall sources said they were 'astonished' that the authorities had not ordered the complete closure of the Millennium Hotel. One said: "The sushi bar has been closed for days because of public health concerns. Officials from the Health Protection Agency are in a complete muddle over the seriousness of the situation. "If the radiation levels are still high at the Millennium Hotel, what were they like three weeks ago?" Hundreds of people who fear they have been contaminated have already called an NHS hotline. NHS Direct said around 300 people had contacted them after they called on people who visited the sushi bar and hotel on November 1 to contact them. Officers also revealed yesterday that they believe Mr Litvinenko gave them a "truthful account" of what happened to him in six days of interviews before he lapsed into unconsciousness. In a statement dictated before he died on Thursday, Mr Litvinenko accused President Putin of involvement in his death. Yesterday a leading Cabinet minister risked causing a major rift in diplomatic relations when he voiced criticism of President Putin's "huge attacks" on liberty and democracy. Peter Hain, the outspoken Northern Ireland Secretary, told BBC1's Sunday AM programme: "His success in binding what is a disintegrating nation together with an economy which was collapsing into Mafioso-style chaos... his success in that must be balanced against the fact there have been huge attacks on individual liberty and on democracy and it's important he retakes the democratic road in my view." He added: "The promise that President Putin brought to Russia when he came to power has obviously been clouded by what has happened since, including an extremely murky murder of a senior Russian journalist. Away from politics and back on the ground, traces of radiation have been found on a shoe belonging to the dead man's widow Marina, 44, but who is not thought to be in any danger. Polonium traces have also been found at Mr Litvinenko's home in Muswell Hill, north London, at least one hospital, a doctor's surgery and an office building in central London. The search for radioactive contamination at Litvinenko's home was yesterday focusing on a car parked yards from his home. Specialist forensic officers wearing masks and protective suits conducted a fingertip search for any signs that the vehicle, believed to belong to the former KGB spy, has been contaminated. His body is now at London's St Pancras mortuary - but because of concerns over its hazardous state - it is still not clear whether it is safe for a pathologist to conduct a post mortem examination. Security sources said police, who are treating his death as 'suspicious', are likely to formally launch a murder inquiry in the next couple of days. Cobra, the Government's emergencies committee, has met on several occasions since Mr Litvinenko died to discuss the security and health implications. Kim Howells, the Foreign Office minister, said: "What everyone seems to forget is that this guy was a naturalised British citizen and they (Cobra) take a very dim view of British citizens being murdered on British streets by foreign nationals." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the Government should have been "much tougher" on President Putin, who should never have been allowed to join the G8. The Russian leader had been invited to Britain on a state visit, while US President George Bush has described him as somebody with whom he could "do business", Sir Menzies said. Mr Litvinenko's friend, Alex Goldfarb, welcomed Mr Hain's comments. He said it was "long overdue" that Western governments raised concerns about "the twist of Russia towards an uncontrollable and unaccountable police state which poses a danger to the rest of the world". A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "While there is an ongoing police investigation and Health Protection Agency investigation, we don't have anything to say on this." Dignity and Honour - named after the motto for the Russian secret services - is a shadowy group of ex-KGB spies and assassins allegedly waging a war against critics of President Vladimir Putin. Little is known about the group which is said to be a mercenary organisation available to carry out tasks for the Russian government - or for hire by private individuals. It appears to have links to other KGB veterans' organisations - one of which is led by Putin's former station chief when he was a spy in East Germany during the Cold War. The group has its headquarters on a well-known Moscow street and claims to represent retired agents from the secret services and the police. The group is suspected of being used for "deniable" operations required by Russian secret services but which would cause too much scandal if they were ever linked to the government. It is said to employ freelance hitmen who also work for the secret services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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