Russians Refuse to Extradite Litvinenko Suspect

Russian prosecutors have officially refused Britain's request to hand over the suspect in the fatal poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

The Russian prosecutor general said he would not sanction turning over businessman and former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi on the grounds that the extradition would breach the country's constitution, the Interfax news agency reported.

Officials in the prosecutor general's office have yet to comment publicly on the report, which both the UK Foreign Office and Crown Prosecution Service said they were looking into.

In May, Britain accused Mr Lugovoi of involvement in the killing of Mr Litvinenko, who died in a London hospital in November from a fatal dose of the radioactive substance polonium 210.

Mr Lugovoi, a former KGB bodyguard, met Mr Litvinenko at the Millennium hotel in London on November 1 2006, hours before the former spy fell ill. He has denied any role in the killing.

President Vladimir Putin has publicly stated he would oppose the extradition of any Russian suspects because the constitution prohibits handing over its citizens to foreign nationals.

The case has led to a bitter deterioration in relations between London and Moscow.

Russian authorities last month tried to turn the tables on Britain by opening their own investigation into allegations of British espionage made by Mr Lugovoi. The businessman alleged that Mr Litvinenko was working for MI6 and claimed that British secret services could have been involved in his death.