[indistinct music on headphones]
[indistinct music continues]
[Marina talking indistinctly]
[speaking in foreign language]
[Alexander clinking glass]
[speaking in foreign language]
- But it is important I do this in English
because today, after six years of waiting,
we received letter from UK government.
Now we call ourselves British family.
- British family.
[indistinct sports commentary]
[Marina speaking in foreign language]
[Alexander coughs]
[Alexander vomits]
- Marina.
[tense music]
- Sasha.
[tense music continues]
[radio static]
[sirens wailing]
- Listen, right, I think there was a fair bit
of back and forth about it.
Yes, sir.
Sorry mate, 20 minutes tops.
Absolutely.
Yes, sir.
Yes, I did see that.
Boss has got the hump.
You and me got better things to be doing apparently.
- I mean, why is this not a counterterrorism job?
That's what I'm asking.
- Counter-terrorism don't want it,
say they don't deal with homicides.
Homicides don't want it...
- Because nobody's actually dead.
- Because nobody's actually dead, yeah.
But the real reason nobody wants it,
is because they all think the man's lost his marbles.
- Do we think that?
- Oh, I can't speak for you, Jim.
I'd say let's meet the guy first, judge for ourselves.
Ha.
Hi there.
We're here to see a Mr. Carter.
Mr. Edwin Carter.
It's the one who thinks he's been poisoned.
- [Receptionist] He's down the end.
- Thanks.
[tense music]
10 minutes.
- Yeah.
- Mrs. Carter?
- Detective.
This is a big moment for us.
My husband was worried nobody was taking this seriously.
- Well, we're here now, Mrs. Carter.
- He wants the whole world to know what has happened.
You understand?
- Are you okay, Mrs. Carter?
- My husband is ill.
This means I'm also Ill.
We're together in life.
- And he'll talk to us right now?
- The doctors, I know they do not believe him,
but they do not understand.
- Okay.
[Marina knocks on door]
Mr. Carter?
I'm Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt,
the specialist crime director.
This is Detective Sergeant Jim Dawson.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Detective.
I need to report a murder.
- Who's murder?
- Mine.
Today, yes, I'm alive, of course, I can stand.
But tomorrow, no.
Tomorrow I will be tired.
In two days, most very weak.
In three days,
or maybe it take four days.
- How can you know that?
The number of days, I mean?
If you have been poisoned, as you say,
how can you be so specific?
- I know how this happened.
I know when, I know why.
Detective, I explain to you my story
before it is too late.
- Well, if he is a nut, he's the most levelheaded nut
that I've ever come across.
And I've met a few.
- Okay, look, we take his statement, hear him out.
- There they are.
- Who's in charge here please?
Look, I'm gonna put this as politely as I can.
You need to go.
- The man we're speaking to-
- The man you're speaking to is seriously ill.
That's the beginning and end of it.
- He's saying that he's been poisoned.
- People say all sorts of things.
- Doesn't mean we don't take them seriously.
- Oh, we've taken him very seriously.
We've tested him for several toxins, including thallium,
which is what he's convinced he's been poisoned with.
But we just can't stand it up.
- And his hair loss?
- Likely a reaction to the antibiotics.
- I'm going to take his statement.
- [Doctor] It's midnight.
- I appreciate that.
- Good.
Then for the sake of the other patients,
if that's what you insist on doing,
at least wait till the morning.
- You're sure that will be possible?
- How do you mean?
Sorry?
- Can you give me your personal guarantee
that Mr. Carter will be alive in the morning
in order to give us his statement?
If you can, then fine.
We'll come back first thing.
If not, with respect, we'll crack on.
[pensive music]
[pensive music continues]
Mrs. Carter, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room.
[recorder buzzes]
The time is 00:08 on the 18th of November, 2006.
I'm Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt.
Also present are...
- Detective Sergeant Jim Dawson.
- And...
Edwin, if you could just state your name please
for the tape.
- My name...
My name is not Edwin Carter.
This name I use for protection.
- So what is your name?
For this statement to be worth anything,
we need to know who we're speaking to.
- My name is Alexander Litvinenko.
I am former FSB Officer.
In Russia I have a senior job,
deputy head of Section 7.
- Section 7?
- Top secret department.
This job is simple job.
This job is to kill.
- Your job was to kill.
- Yes.
- [Brent] Who?
- Enemies of Russian state.
They give me a list.
They give me names.
Ask me to organize.
That's why I am here today.
- Because you killed people.
- No, because I refuse.
This job is not human.
This job is corruption job.
Corruption in the law and corruption here inside.
When we arrived to London, I write book about Russia,
about corruption.
And when I write this book,
they're very angry with me.
They come find me.
They want to kill me.
- And because you wrote that book, you become a target.
- Yes, because I tell truth.
Because I am troublemaker.
- And you have any idea who may have made this order?
- Yes, I know the man who make order for this.
The man who says I must die.
I know this person.
- You have a name?
- This man was head of FSB.
- [Brent] Was?
- Before, yes.
Not anymore.
- [Brent] What is his name?
Edwin, let's start with the name.
- His name is Vladimir Putin.
[sirens wailing in distance]
[pensive music]
- Mornin' Floppy.
- [Officer] Mornin' Guv.
[pensive music continues]
[sirens wailing]
[pensive music continues]
- [TV Reporter] It is being billed
as the celebrity wedding of the year.
A list of stars gathered in Rome for the wedding
of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
The ceremony is expected to take place today.
[pensive music continues]
- We have a Russian friend in London.
Alex Goldfarb.
He arranged for a photographer to come to the hospital.
He says we need publicity.
For Sasha.
- Sasha?
- Alexander.
We say Sasha for short.
You think it was mistake?
- Professionally speaking, I couldn't say.
Personally, if Sasha wants the whole world
to know what happened,
I'd say he'd be hard pushed to come up with anything better.
- [Jim] Brent.
- It's important now, Alexander,
that we draw up a list of people
that you've had contact with in London.
Get an idea of who might have done this.
Does that make sense?
- When they come to London,
they make contact with other Russians.
- [Brent] What sort of Russians?
- Like me, enemies of state.
Alex Goldfarb.
Boris Berezovsky.
And a woman who visited from Chechnya.
Anna Politkovskaya.
- She is also a target.
- Yes, because she writes many articles
against Putin, against war in Chechnya.
She's critic.
She go home in October.
She go back to Moscow.
She is murdered.
- [Brent] Killed?
- Murdered.
It is fact.
I say to all media,
my friend Anna has been killed by Russian street.
By Vladimir Putin.
If I not explain this, nobody will.
- [Brent] And this was in October of this year.
- October 7.
Putin's birthday.
Next, from nowhere I receive phone call from Italian man,
intelligence expert with connection to Russia.
He says, coming to London, he say wants to see me,
wants to have lunch with me.
- He calls you up out of the blue
and says he wants to meet you for lunch in London.
- [Jim] Did you have a name?
- His name Mario Scaramella.
- [Brent] Did he say why he wanted to meet?
But you agreed to meet him.
- And do you remember what date this was?
- Yes, I remember.
1st of November.
Also very important day.
- [Brent] Why?
- Because this is the day I am poisoned.
[indistinct loudspeaker announcement]
- Detective.
Alex Goldfarb.
Long time friend of Sasha's.
- You brought in the photographer.
- Please, this is Professor John Henry.
He is one of the world's top toxicologists.
- Detective.
- We would like permission to examine Sasha.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
With respect, it's not my permission to give.
[gentle music]
That being said, if you do find a way to examine him,
would you mind keeping me posted?
Not exactly getting much joy out of the doctors ourselves.
[gentle music continues]
- [Clive] Guv.
- [Peter] He's had two homicide detectives with him
for the past 24 hours.
Now, it's not our job technically
because we don't handle homicides.
But homicide is saying it's not theirs either.
- Because no one's actually dead.
- [Peter] Because no one's actually dead.
- Well, it's a fair point.
- Either way, Clive, given how this is escalating,
given his background,
given the international nature of all of this,
we want it as a joint inquiry,
with counter-terrorism taking the lead.
And as the on-call SIO in London...
- I'm the lucky man.
- I'm not sure lucky is the word.
- Oh, it might be not for you, gov.
But in my job, you can spend your entire career
waiting for something like this to come along.
And it never does.
So I'll take it.
[sirens wailing]
- I meet Scaramella at Piccadilly Circus.
He's very worried man.
He say, "Let's go, let's go, let's go."
So we walk away, we go sushi place, Itsu.
- Insu.
- Itsu.
Itsu, it's the name of it, Itsu.
- Okay.
- But then he say, "I'm not hungry.
I already have food before."
- Wait.
He comes all the way from Italy for lunch.
When you meet him, he's already eaten.
And the whole time you were together,
you were the only one to eat.
- Only me.
Scaramella only drink with lid.
He's very anxious.
He's very hot.
Sorry, my English is not...
- No, there's no rush, Sasha.
- Yeah.
- You take your time.
- We do not have time to take time.
That is problem, detective.
Scaramella say he has something to show me.
A white package.
He tries give contents of package to me.
- He tried to give you the contents of a white package.
- I say, "I don't want this paper."
He say, "No, put in your bag."
- [Brent] And did you?
- What else can I do?
I take packet, I eat food.
I go.
Scaramella is little bit...
He is mad man.
- To be clear, Scaramella might have been the person
sent to poison you.
- It's possible.
- Yeah.
So... [knocking at door]
One minute please.
- Mr. Carlton needs his medication.
- Excuse me.
- Detective, I ask Marina to bring you a copy of my book.
This is from me to you.
- Thank you.
- There you go.
Scaramella.
I don't mind calling that one in.
[cell phone ringing]
- Brent Hyatt.
So, sir?
- The doctor's got it wrong.
No, let me rephrase that.
Wrong, it's harsh.
- But he has been poisoned.
- Oh, I'm convinced.
Though not with thallium.
Sasha was wrong about that.
Having seen the data the doctors gathered,
it's clear they scanned him with a Geiger counter.
That would've picked up thallium
and/or other heavy metals common in poisoning
had they been there.
- But they weren't.
- No.
What a Geiger counter misses
are things called alpha emitters.
And suddenly that explained everything
including the hair loss.
Sasha Litvinenko has been poisoned,
in the middle of London, in the middle of a working day,
with a radioactive substance.
Now, precisely which one it is hard to say.
- How do we find out?
- By getting a sample of Sasha's urine
down to the atomic weapons establishment in Aldermaston.
It's the only place in the country
that can run the analysis.
Get it down there first thing tomorrow,
get priority clearance,
and I'd say you'd have feedback within a day or two.
A day or two may be all poor Sasha has left.
[pensive music]
- Turn right here a sec.
[pensive music continues]
[car door slams]
You got it too or is it just me?
The guilt.
The guy's giving us the final days of his life.
The one person who should be with him
is stuck in a corridor on a plastic chair.
- Well, there's only one way to stop yourself
feeling like that, Brent.
Catch the bastards.
[pensive music]
[pensive music continues]
- Go straight through.
- Right, congratulations.
What you are working on is the first ever
murder investigation where nobody's actually died.
In all seriousness, while Mr. Litvinenko is alive,
we have the best possible witness we could hope for.
Our two friends from homicide have begun
a process of talking to the victim.
They made a strong start.
Let's now build on their findings, please.
What's dangerous here are the unknowables.
Useful though Litvinenko's statements have been so far,
we do not yet know who it was that tried to kill him.
We do not know what with, we do not know where,
we do not know why.
All we can be certain about is that a substance,
an unidentified poison,
has been deployed in Central London,
the busiest square mile in Europe.
And that that substance has the power to kill people.
If we needed something to focus our thinking,
let it be that, please.
Right, back to it.
- Sir.
I appreciate that this is now a counterterrorism job,
but I just wanted to say that Jim and I built up
a very close personal dialogue with Mr. Litvinenko.
Not to mention the fact-
- It's not a counter-terrorism job, Brent.
It's a joint inquiry.
- Right.
- [Clive] And there's a clock on this, yes.
- We just owe it to the bloke to finish what we started.
- Well, you better get on with it then.
[tape recorder buzzes]
- The time is now 14:41 on the 19th of November, 2006.
The same persons still present.
Also present...
- My name is Nina Tapper.
I'll be acting as interpreter for Mr. Litvinenko.
- What I need now, Sasha, is for you
to complete your account of the 1st of November.
This important day.
- I leave Itsu and make phone call to arrange next meeting.
- [Brent] Scaramella wasn't your only meeting that day.
- No.
I agreed to meet old colleague from KGB.
He's in London on family holiday.
He's staying at Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square.
- And his name?
- Andrey Lugovoy.
He say, "Hurry Sasha, meet now, meet early.
We not have much time."
- [Brent] He brought the meeting forward.
- Yes.
Yes, because they're going for football match.
Arsenal and CSKA Moscow.
- They being Mr Lugovoy and his family.
- No.
Lugovoy and his associate.
This name...
I not remember this name.
- You didn't know the second guy.
- Kovtun.
I remember.
Dmitry Kovtun.
I go hotel.
I walk inside.
I see Lugovoy.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Lugovoy was waiting in the foyer.
- He told me to go into hotel bar.
The waiter come.
Ask for me to have drink.
But before I can say yes, Lugovoy says, "No, no.
No more drinks.
We're only here short while."
The waiter goes away.
- So you don't have a drink?
[speaking in foreign language]
- Lugovoy told him there's no need
to order a drink of your own.
After all, there is plenty of tea left in the pot.
- So, you drank the leftover tea.
How much?
- Three mouthfuls.
The tea is cold, I not like.
- And Kovtun.
Where's he in all this?
- Would you point this fan?
- Yes, of course.
- Kovtun come from his room.
Say hello.
Talk about big business scheme.
Say I can make money in UK.
If the police ask questions, you pay them off.
He's arrogant.
I said, "No, you not understand United Kingdom.
Here, policemen does not take bribes.
Here, more than any country, policeman is good.
You can trust with your life.
- What else can you give me on Lugovoy?
I know you're tired, Sasha,
but you're right, this is crucial now.
I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't push you on this.
[speaking in foreign language]
- [Nina] In his house, Mr. Litvinenko has many papers,
all of which he's made sure to arrange very carefully.
[speaking in foreign language]
- [Nina] In the bottom drawer of his desk,
you will find a file on Lugovoy.
[siren wailing]
- Sir.
- I found 'em.
Turns out he's an ex platoon commander in the KGB,
and involved in state security.
- The Russian foreign intelligence service
today denied having anything to do with what happened
to a critic of President Putin
when he apparently visited a sushi bar.
Peter Marshall reports.
- [Peter] The victim, the former Russian spy,
Alexander Litvinenko, a defector whose poisoning in London
has left him in hospital fighting for his life.
- [Wife] This is you.
- [Peter] Litvinenko now joins a growing list
of those who've been victims of assassination.
- It's exciting.
- That's one word for it.
- [Peter] All vehement and critics of Vladimir Putin.
- [Speaker] A person of his standing, I thank...
- [Wife] Hey.
- [Clive] Mornin' Floppy.
- Mornin' Guv.
[cell phone ringing]
- Timmons.
- Detective, this is James Cairns calling from Aldermaston.
I have a result for you on the urine sample.
- Go on.
- The sample contains clear traces
of a substance known as Polonium 210.
- Sorry?
Polonium?
You mean plutonium?
- Polonium.
It's an isotope.
It's extremely rare.
Almost certainly produced in Russia.
- Right, well, what does that mean for the victim?
- [James] Well, I'm not a medical doctor.
It's not my job to say.
- But in your opinion.
- Well, in my opinion,
there's no conceivable way that he can survive.
Polonium is commonly accepted to be
the most dangerous substance known to men.
- She's gone to get some air.
- Sasha always makes life easy for me.
Whatever he tells me, I believe.
He tells me he has been poisoned.
I believe.
He tells me this poison will kill him.
I believe.
But all this time,
just because I believe,
does not mean I do not hope.
It does not mean I cannot hope he's wrong.
- Mrs. Carter.
Given we're near the end of the interviews now,
I was wondering, would you like to come into the room,
sit with Sasha?
I'd like it if you said yes.
- I come out of bus, I put music in my ears, I walk home.
But before I go in my door,
I see my wife and son in window.
They are happy.
- And once doors, you stay indoors?
Did you eat?
[speaking in foreign language]
- Yes, I had a meal.
Marina made dinner.
She always makes such excellent meals.
- Later, I have pain in stomach.
I have blood in mouth.
I am sick.
I'm poisoned, I know this.
I know...
I'm sorry detective, I not learn
English language completely yet.
But I am proud to be able to say I am British citizen.
Britain is good country.
I will die, yes.
But I will die a free person.
My wife and son are free.
I say to my son, "Remember for the rest of your life,
this country saved us."
You ask me many questions.
- I'm sorry.
- Now I ask you,
you have a wife?
- I do.
- [Litvinenko] You love this woman?
- I do.
- Children?
- Not yet.
But we still hope to.
- I ask request of you inspector.
I know there will be pressure
from top,
on the police,
on you.
But, I ask you your best
to bring this case to justice for me,
for my family,
as far as it is possible.
- Sasha,
I give you my word.
[tape recorder buzzes]
["BBC News Theme"]
- [Reporter] The mystery surrounding the poisoning
of the former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko
has deepened tonight.
Doctors now say that it's unlikely
that he was poisoned with Thallium.
Mr. Litvinenko remains-
- The discovery of polonium puts this case
at the top of the Metropolitan Police agenda.
I've called an emergency meeting of the relevant agencies.
- And I'll be establishing a testing site here at the yard.
- Nick's from the Health Protection Agency.
- You and your team will all need assessing,
as will anyone or anything that's come into direct contact
with the victim.
- How do you mean, anything?
- You, your tapes, you recording equipment, your clothes,
it will all need to be scanned for signs of radioactivity.
- Why do you think we're sitting on this side of the table?
- So if someone who's contaminated gave you something,
that object could also be carrying traces of the...
- Polonium.
That's right.
- Oh, sorry sir.
I have to go.
- Brent.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Just taking an interest.
What was that for?
Brent?
- Negative.
[Brent sighs]
- Thank you very much.
- Hospital called.
Sasha's had a cardiac.
But...
- Brent, meeting's starting in...
[elevator beeping]
[machines beeping]
[indistinct doctor orders]
[speaking in foreign language]
- The sushi restaurant, the victim's home,
the Millennium Hotel, wherever Mario Scaramella was staying.
these need to be secured as absolute priority.
- How many uniforms can I get?
- [Peter] How many do you need?
- Oh, 50, minimum.
- There are on call teams at Belgravia and Savile Row.
They can be made available immediately tomorrow.
That can double, but let's be careful please.
This is one of the world's busiest cities.
Flood the streets with uniform and they can create a panic.
Mr. Litvinenko died at 21:21 this evening.
[solemn music]
[solemn music continues]
- I want to show you something.
- This is now a murder investigation
and there has never been a murder investigation like it.
So, let's all take a moment.
Let's look around us.
And let's understand that the people
sitting in this room just now
are the people best equipped to get justice
for a British citizen and his family.
- What was it you told me when we first got here?
You didn't think anybody was taking it seriously.
- [Reporter] Mr. Goldfarb!
- [Reporter] There he is!
[indistinct chatter]
- Good evening.
Good evening.
Two days ago, I spent some time in the company
of my friend Alexander Litvinenko,
who died this evening.
Sasha asked me to read something to you.
I have the privilege of doing this now.
I would like to thank my doctors and hospital staff,
who did all they could for me.
I would like to thank the British police
for pursuing my case with vigor and professionalism.
I would like to thank my wife, Marina, who stood by me.
My love for her and our son knows no bounds.
But as I lie here,
I can distinctly hear the beating of wings
of the angel of death.
I think therefore, that this may be the time
to say one or two things to the person responsible.
You may succeed in silencing me,
but the howl of protest from around the world
will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears
for the rest of your life.
May God forgive you for what you have done,
not only to me, but to our beloved Russia and its people.
[solemn music]
- [Brent] Right, here's what we're gonna do.
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]