From Sky News:
The sudden death of an exiled Georgian billionaire may have been another “Alexander Litvinenko-style” murder, it is feared.
A major crime squad is investigating the death of 52-year-old Badri Patarkatsishvili, whose body was found at his country mansion in Surrey at about 11pm last night.
His family said he suffered a heart attack – but Surrey Police have launched an investigation to confirm the exact cause of death after reports of a plot to kill him.
Sky News’ home affairs correspondent Mark White said: “The police want to leave no stone uncovered.
“In the light of Litvinenko’s death in 2006 they are treating it very seriously and want to investigate properly to rule out foul play or to find out whether he was the subject of a hit.”
Mr Patarkatsishvili – Georgia’s richest man, with an estimated £6bn fortune – spoke recently of his fears for his life after one alleged plot against him was uncovered in London.
It has also been reported that an assassination plan bore chilling similarities to the killing of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.
Mr Litvinenko – an outspoken critic of the Putin regime – was killed by radiation poisoning in London. Moscow has refused to extradite the prime suspect, ex-KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi.
Talking about Mr Patarkatsishvili’s death at his home Downside Manor outside Leatherhead, a spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: “As with all unexplained deaths, it is being treated as suspicious.
My question is just what is England going to do about it if they found out Putin did have this guy killed? With the help of the European left, the American “anti-war” movement has saped the will of Americans to participate in wars meant to combat the spread of totalitarianism.
With Obama as President (something which looks pretty likely) and a Democratic House and Senate the chances of England being able to jump back into the protective cold war embrace of America are slim indeed.
It’s almost a cheery thought about the way our politics are going, that England, France and the E.U. will one day say ask us for help containing Russian aggression and will only receive some finger wagging about not being warmongers. Bye Bye England, I hope your friends the “peaceful Muslims” will feel like defending you from a resurgent Russia.