By Country / Russia
Litvinenko's Italian Contact 'Well'
December 03, 2006
Mario Scaramella (file photo) (epa)
December 3, 2006 -- Doctors say Mario Scaramella, the Italian security consultant who met with former Russian intelligence officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, is "well" and tests so far have indicated he is not suffering from radiation poisoning.
Doctors earlier said that Scaramella, who is being treated in hospital in London, had tested positive for polonium-210, the rare radioactive substance that has been linked to Litvinenko's death on November 23.
Doctors say Scaramella, who met with Litvinenko in London on November 1, was exposed to a much lower level of the isotope.
In a statement published by Italian media, Scaramella said he believed that both he and Litvinenko may have been targeted because of information that Litvinenko had shared with him.
Scaramella did not accuse anyone of the poisoning or specify what kind of information Litvinenko had sent him.
Scaramella added that investigators do not suspect him of killing Litvinenko and that London police regard him as a victim.
(AP, AFP)