British prosecutors accuse Russian man of poisoning ex-spy

British authorities said Tuesday they plan to seek the extradition of a Russian businessman to charge him with murder in the poisoning death of a former Russian intelligence agent.

Andrei Lugovoi, a former Russian KGB agent, met with Alexander Litvinenko, 43, in London on Nov. 1, hours beforeLitvinenko fell ill from radiation poisoning. Litvinenko died in a London hospital on Nov. 23.

Doctors concluded that Litvinenko had ingested polonium 210, a highly radioactive substance. On his deathbed, Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being involved in his death.

Ken Macdonald, director of public prosecutions in the United Kingdom, said Lugovoi should be extradited from Russia to the United Kingdom and should be prosecuted for "this extraordinarily grave crime."

"I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Mr. Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning," Macdonald said. "I have further concluded that a prosecution of this case would clearly be in the public interest."

Russian officials have already said, however, they have no plans to hand over Lugovoi.

Marina Gridneva, spokeswoman for the Russian prosecutor general's office, said Tuesday in an interview broadcast on the NTV television channel that Lugovoi could be tried for the crime in Russia, but not the United Kingdom.

"In accordance with Russian law, citizens of Russia cannot be turned over to foreign states," Gridneva said. "A citizen of Russia, committing a crime on the territory of a foreign state, can, upon presentation of material by this state, be brought to criminal responsibility, but only in Russia."

After the poisoning death, British police launched an investigation that led to a trail of radiation at a number of places visited by Lugovoi.

Fear of contamination led to several buildings being cordoned off and some British Airways flights being postponed. Hundreds of people were also tested for radiation poisoning. Two buildings continue to be closed to the public.

When asked about the poisoning, Lugovoi has said he had known Litivenko for a decade. He has denied involvement in the poisoning death.

According to BBC News, Lugovoi runs a private security firm in Russia.

Hope for extradition

Litvinenko's widow, Marina, thanked police and prosecutors for their work in the investigation.

"It is thanks to them that we have reached the point today of having a named person to be charged with this crime," she said.

She said she hopes that he is extradited so she and her 11-year-old son, Anatoly, could "get justice."

"I'm absolutely sure it has to be here in London, not in Russia," she said of court proceedings. "Everything that happened, happened here."

The CBC's Adrienne Arsenault in London said the chances of Lugovoi being extradited to stand trial in England are slim because the casecould damage the political career ofRussian President Vladimir Putin.

"If Lugovoi were to come here to testify in a trial, that would mean giving evidence that in all likelihood would reveal sensitive information that could quite possibly embarrass and infuriate Putin. So that's unlikely to happen at all," she said.

"What all this will likely lead to at this point is more diplomatic tensions between these two nations," she added.