British Foil Plot To Murder Putin Critic

U.K. Police Confirm Arrest Of Man Suspected In Plotting Hit On Russian Tycoon In London

(CBS/AP) 
Meanwhile, in the wake of Britain's expulsion of four Russian diplomats over the refusal of Moscow to meet its own extradition demands, Britain said Wednesday it would not accept a trial in a third country of a former KGB agent accused of using radioactive poison to kill a Kremlin critic.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office earlier appeared to have opened the way to a possible compromise deal in another country or territory, but later confirmed it would only consider a trial in Britain.

"We want the trial to be in a British court, on British soil," his spokesman Michael Ellam said.

The spokesman earlier said only that the trial should take place in a British court — raising the prospect of a hearing in a third country as in the case of a Libyan suspect convicted for the 1988 airliner bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

That trial was held by a Scottish court specially convened in the Netherlands after Libya accepted the proposal of a trial in a neutral country.

Brown's Downing Street office said any confusion was unintentional and stressed it was seeking a trial in Britain.

Britain this week ordered four Russian diplomats to leave the country because of Russia's refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, named by British prosecutors as the chief suspect in the killing of Litvinenko, a Kremlin critic and former security agent poisoned with a radioactive isotope in London in November.

Russia has threatened unspecified measures in response, leading to concerns that both sides are taking extreme positions that could make resolution of the dispute difficult.

London's Foreign Office said in a document Wednesday that relations with Moscow have been "overshadowed by tensions" over asylum granted to Russian dissidents.

Moscow has not "fully accepted that these questions are matters of law, not of politics or diplomacy," said the document, prepared by officials as part of a parliamentary inquiry into Russian-British relations.

[prinzowhales]

President Putin may well have worked for the KGB, but lets take a look at Ford and Reagan--FBI informers....Bush41--Director of the CIA and also almost certainly photgraphed with his head turned down outside the Dallas Book Depository at the time of the JFK assassination and connected with the Miami CIA field station. We had Clinton who was recruited by the Agency... the so-called "Arkansas suicides" of those connected to Clinton is a phenomenon that has yet to surface in his wife's presidential campaign...including the obvious murder of Vince Foster.

Berezovsky is a terrorist financier. He is protected by the Crown.

America has respect for its citizens?--Ask the children of Waco about that "respect"... Ask Randy Weaver, his wife and child murdered by an FBI sharpshooter...Ask those reservist and national guardsmen who have been repeatedly called up to fight and die in an unconstitutional war about America's respect for "justice and fair play"....ask those jailed by the lies of police and labs--or the relatives of those tens of thousands murdered by Merck Pharmaceuticals' Vioxx...not one single person in jail...and the conspirators still open for business. Things are rough and ready in Russia but look at the prison population in the United States and the rates of violent crime.

Because Putin is standing against the criminals, he is reviled by the governments of, for and by the criminals in the UK and US.

[drinuk]

I'm a Brit and I'm firmly on the side of Putin on this one. This is Pot calling the Kettle black, these people have ripped off national wealth and we are giving then sanctuary. As for Putin turning back the clock, perhaps he is simply trying to keep Russia free from the corporate criminals like Big Pharma who have infiltrated our governments in the west to the extent that we are no longer free. Indeed the Chinese are having the same problems with these crooks. They want to have their hands in every pie and our government supports them doing as they are told.

[bradosol]

I'm British, a citizen of that vile country so obviously the centre of all the evil in the world.

How do we get it so wrong? Everyone who opposes us, individual or nation, is always so right.

Hint - criticise us, better still, vilify us - and just see the lovely new friends you'll get.

I think I'll make a cup of tea!

[rharrin1]

I think Russia is right since he is involved with the bush crime family hard to look innocent when you deal with crooks.

[zootallures2]

UK making stuff up to save face again? I not fond of either coutries, but I'm possitive Russia could wipe the UK off the map.

[prinzowhales]

Conspiracy to commit murder? Sentence-- deportation? Talk about an obviously fabricated media event. The terrorist financier, BOR-ISSS Berezovsky, gets to pose as a victim of the wicked Russians...He is a thief. He is a liar. He is protected by the Crown, the rats of the City and the new Labour regime that serves them.

[steve3433]

Yesterday RAF fighters had to incept two TU95 bombers heading towards British airspace. The conspiracy loons can bury their heads in the sand but Russia is a country run be gangsters and ex KGB officials. You really have to live in Russia for some time to understand the Russian way of thinking. Justice and openness are not easy concepts for them to understand. The UK or USA are not angels but most of us believe in fairplay and freedom. Russia operates in reverse and has very little respect for its own citizens.

[dkrants]

Let's see: First Britain wants Russia to extradite Lugovoi (which is by the way against Russian Constitution). The next day British authorities arrest alleged Berezovsky killer and guess what.... DEPORT him back to Russia.
This doesn't look right to me.
Also, another report says that the alleged killer didn't even have a gun when he walked into the hotel to supposedly kill Berezovsky.

[starfinch]

Beware of strange men in furry hats.