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So who's Dmitri Kovtun?The investigation into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko gathered pace dramatically yesterday as it emerged that a number of British Airways aircraft that fly between Moscow and London have been contaminated with radioactive material. Two BA Boeing 767s were grounded at Heathrow following tests ordered by Scotland Yard, and a third aircraft was being tested in Moscow after its pilot was warned not to take off.
Last night the airline appealed to around 800 passengers to come forward. They flew on four flights between London and Moscow in the days either side of Litvinenko's poisoning on November 1. ...
It is thought Litvinenko, 43, was not a passenger on any of the jets - he had been granted British citizenship after claiming asylum following his decision to become a whistleblower about the alleged activities of the Russian security services.
Aviation industry sources suggested other individuals connected to the police investigation had travelled on the aircraft. The police are particularly interested in a flight from Moscow to London on October 25. It is known Litvinenko met two Russian contacts, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun, at the Millennium Hotel in London's West End on November 1, the day he fell ill.
Mr Lugovoi, a former KGB bodyguard who now runs a security company in Moscow, has said that he flew in the day before with his family and friends to attend a Champions League football match between Arsenal and CSKA Moscow and for a series of business meetings. As Litvinenko lay dying, Mr Lugovoi insisted he had been framed by someone who wished him to appear to be the poisoner.
"I have the feeling that someone is trying to set me up as the fall guy," he said.