Alexander Litvinenko

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/books/12weisberg.html?_r=1


Alan Cowell wrote a book (The Terminal Spy: A true story of espionage, betrayal and murder-the first act of nuclear terrorism and the new Cold War) about this murder, and now it's totally on my to-read list. Apparently he was poisoned on my 18th birthday, sad :(.

"As the multiple subtitles in Mr. Cowell’s book suggest, he believes that the Litvinenko murder has far-reaching significance. He argues that the West has become embroiled in a new cold war with Russia, and that Mr. Litvinenko’s poisoning, whether authorized at the very top or not, was the act of an angry, newly ascendant Russia. He also believes that the murder was the world’s first act of nuclear terrorism, and that the use of polonium or similar elements in a slightly modified manner could be much more effective for terrorists than a dirty bomb."

-Cat