MOSCOW, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - Britain's Embassy in Moscow confirmed Tuesday that its premises are being screened for radioactive contamination as part of an investigation into the poisoning death of former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko.
Embassy officials said the checks, which are being carried out by British experts involved in the probe, are a precautionary measure and that there is no obvious danger to public safety.
Litvinenko, who defected to the UK in 2000, died in London last month, presumably as a result of ingesting the radioactive substance polonium-210. Scotland Yard experts investigating the case later found traces of radiation in places the ex-spy visited shortly before his death, as well as in several jetliners flying the London-Moscow route.
The British government has asked Russian authorities for help with the inquiry, and the Scotland Yard experts were issued Russian visas Monday to travel to the Russian capital for further checks.
