Widow says Russian ex-spy could not have poisoned himself

Alexander Litvinenko could not have poisoned himself accidentally with radioactive polonium, and received threats for years before his death, the former Russian spy's widow said today.
Marina Litvinenko told an inquiry that her husband could not have acquired nuclear materials because it was illegal and he would "not do any illegal things in this country."
A former Russian security services agent who moved to London and became a strong critic of the Kremlin, Litvinenko became sick after drinking tea laced with polonium-210 at a London hotel on Nov 1, 2006.
He died on Nov 23, a day after signing a statement blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for his poisoning. She said his last words to her were "I love you so much.'"

Marina Litvinenko said her husband had received threats after he spoke out against the Kremlin.
In 2002 he received an email from a former colleague saying "get your will ready in advance." The couple's London home was later fire-bombed.

Two weeks before he was poisoned, Litvinenko appeared at a public meeting in London and blamed Putin for the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who had been shot dead in Moscow.
British police have named two Russian men, former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, as prime suspects in Litvinenko's death. They deny involvement, and Russia has refused to extradite them.

An inquiry led by judge Robert Owen is examining the circumstances of Litvinenko's death and whether the Russian state was involved.