Aleksandr Litvinenko: An Islamist Threat?
By Dr. Andrew McGregor
One of the most surprising elements in the recent poisoning of the
former FSB officer Aleksandr Litvinenko is his apparent deathbed
conversion to Islam. At first, there seemed little reason to believe
this unlikely development, but the gradual confirmation of the story has
raised a number of questions regarding Litvinenko's cooperation with the
Chechen resistance and, in a more sensational vein, with Osama bin
Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
A Quiet Conversion
The first notice of Litvinenko's conversion to Islam came in a press
release from the Chechen Presidential Administration after the death of
the former spy: "We have learnt that shortly before the attempt on his
life, Aleksandr Litvinenko voluntarily and sincerely converted to Islam.
Thus, he not only became our comrade-in-arms but also brother-in-faith"
(Chechenpress, November 26). Though the source was not given for this
unexpected development, it was eventually revealed that this news came
from the Chechen representative in London, Akhmed Zakayev, a personal
friend and neighbor of Litvinenko. News of the conversion apparently
took several of Litvinenko's friends by surprise.
There seemed little reason to believe this strange tale until it was
confirmed by the spy's father, Walter Litvinenko, who described his
son's growing estrangement from Russia's Orthodox Church. Two days
before his death, Litvinenko told his father that he had decided to
convert to Islam and desired to be buried as a Muslim (Kommersant,
December 4). Zakayev said that Litvinenko first broached the subject of
conversion shortly after he became ill, returning to the topic
repeatedly despite a lack of encouragement from Zakayev. Eventually,
Litvinenko recited the shahadah, a formula whose recitation indicates
the speaker's willingness to convert to Islam. At Litvinenko's urging,
Zakayev arranged for an imam to recite the appropriate Koranic verses in
the hospital room the day before the spy's death (RFE/RL, December 5).
Experiments with Poison
There was initial confusion as to what constituted a lethal dose of
polonium-210. If the Litvinenko poisoning was indeed the work of
Russia's secret services, it is unlikely that such an unusual method of
assassination would have been employed without previous testing.
In a recent interview, Zakayev alleged that polonium poisoning had
already been carried out on several high-profile Chechen prisoners,
including Lecha Ismailov (Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung,
December 3). The reference is undoubtedly to veteran field commander
Lechi ('The Beard') Islamov, who had worked closely with the warlord
Ruslan (Hamzat) Gelayev. Both hailed from the same town of Komsomolskoye
in southwestern Chechnya. As the leader of the "Shaykh Mansur Special
Task-Force Regiment," Islamov was captured in 2000 following the siege
of Grozny and was sentenced to nine years in prison for seizing hostages
and "organizing an armed group." The Russian Deputy Minister of Justice
maintained that Islamov died in 2004 from heart and kidney diseases, as
well as from the complications brought on by a "severe skin allergy"
(Grani.ru, April 26, 2004). Islamov, however, was convinced that he had
been poisoned, describing a meeting that he had attended in prison with
several unknown men. The men seemed intent on discussing matters of
"life and death" with Islamov while urging him to partake in tea and a
pile of sandwiches. Within minutes after the meeting, Islamov became
seriously ill, though he did not receive medical attention for days, and
instead, was transferred to another prison.
According to Islamov's attorney, the commander began to suffer from
organ failure. Some of the symptoms of Islamov's last days resemble
those endured by Litvinenko. His attorney provided a description: "He
cannot speak or move, has became absolutely bald, lost his hair, beard
and eyebrow hairs, skin is peeling off in pieces from his head and
hands" (Kommersant, April 4, 2004). Doctors were unable to diagnose the
disease that was quickly killing Islamov or devise any treatment.
Zakayev alleges that it was only because of Litvinenko's extraordinary
good health that allowed him to survive long enough for the radioactive
poison to be discovered; the poor health of the past victims resulted in
their death within ten days. Traces of polonium-210 have also been found
in Zakayev's car.
Zakayev, who serves as the representative of the Chechen republic in
London, has been the subject of several extradition attempts by Moscow
on charges of murder, abduction and torture. Russian allegations have
tended to be so spurious that they have been tossed aside by British
judges. For instance, an Orthodox priest that Zakayev is alleged to have
killed actually turned up to challenge allegations of his own murder.
There are reports that Russia will now require the extradition of
Zakayev and exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky in return for
Russian cooperation in the investigation of Litvinenko's death (The
Times, December 6).
Dirty Bombs and Suitcase Nukes
After the news of his conversion broke, a number of media sources
retroactively elevated Litvinenko to the ranks of the "Islamist
extremists" who threaten the West as well as Russia. Britain's Sunday
Express tabloid reported that Scotland Yard and counterterrorism experts
feared that Litvinenko was assisting al-Qaeda in building a radioactive
"dirty bomb" (Sunday Express, December 3). A televised panel of Russian
"nuclear experts" claimed that Litvinenko worked in an underground
laboratory in London where he was preparing a "dirty bomb" on behalf of
the Chechen extremists (NTV, December 3). A news agency also suggested
that Litvinenko actually poisoned himself by handling polonium-210, the
last ingredient needed to detonate a "dirty nuclear bomb" (RIA Novosti,
December 5). Another Russian agency repeated the "dirty bomb"
allegations while adding the accusation that "Anglo-American" security
forces were planting traces of polonium around London to implicate
Russia in Litvinenko's death (Isvestiya, December 5). The Washington
Times asked whether Litvinenko's assassination might have been "just
another revenge killing in the name of Allah?" (Washington Times,
December 5). Less credible internet sources have even revived the long
discredited allegations that Osama bin Laden had purchased a number of
"suitcase nukes" from Chechen militants for use against the United
States. These stories speculate that Litvinenko was working on
polonium-based triggering devices for these weapons and had failed to
clean traces of polonium from his fingers before going out for a sushi
lunch.
As usual, many media sources seem unable to differentiate between
nuclear bombs and "dirty bombs." The latter is a primitive weapon
involving no nuclear reaction, just the dispersal of radioactive debris.
Polonium-210 was used as part of the triggering devices on early nuclear
weapons, but is no longer used for this purpose. A "dirty bomb" does not
require a sophisticated trigger as it is simply radioactive waste
wrapped around a conventional explosive; polonium-210 is not a very
useful material for constructing "dirty bombs." A 1957 fire at a
Cumbrian nuclear facility in England released enough polonium-210 to
kill thousands of people if ingested, but the isotopes dispersed quickly
and harmlessly in the air. The point of a "dirty bomb" is not so much to
kill individuals (conventional explosives are much better for this
purpose) but to create lasting contamination, public panic and economic
damage. Polonium is not regarded as particularly dangerous unless
inhaled or ingested in a significant quantity. A sheet of paper is
enough to block the radioactive alpha rays and even human skin can be
enough to prevent penetration into the body.
Conclusion
Despite Litvinenko's talents in the world of espionage, it is highly
unlikely that he would have been capable of maintaining and repairing
complicated nuclear weapons, such as portable "suitcase bombs," in a
basement laboratory in London. Assumptions of this sort belong to the
world of paperback thrillers. Many of the imaginative stories regarding
the "Islamist threat' posed by Litvinenko are designed to sell
newspapers, but other accounts seem designed to discredit the former KGB
member and divert attention away from his assassins or even to justify
their deed as being in the interest of public security.
Dr. McGregor is the director of Aberfoyle International Security
Analysis in Toronto, Canada.
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