The inquest into the death of former Russian security officer Alexander Litvinenko is due to open on Thursday at St Pancras Coroner’s Court, AP reported on Monday quoting a statement by Camden Council.

“It is likely the inquest will start on Thursday although no final decision has been taken on a post-mortem,” a council spokesman said.

“We are still waiting for advice from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on safety issues about carrying out a post-mortem, he added. The earliest an autopsy could start would be Tuesday.

Kremlin critic Litvinenko died in a London hospital on Thursday after a three-week illness that saw his hair fall out, his body waste away and his organs fail.

His death has been widely linked to radioactive poisoning.

Before he died, the former KGB colonel dictated a statement blaming his death on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has denied the accusation.

Over the weekend, Northern Ireland minister Peter Hain condemned ”murky murders“ clouding Putin’s Russia and media reports said police would go to Moscow and Rome to probe the death.

Hain, whose government has asked Moscow for any information that might help the British police inquiry, criticised ”huge attacks“ on individual freedoms and democracy in Russia.

”The promise that President Putin brought to Russia when he came to power has been clouded by what has happened since, including some extremely murky murders,“ he told BBC television.

Litvinenko was a Russian dissident who became a British citizen last month.

Reports in newspapers and television said detectives wanted to question two Russians and an Italian professor who lunched with Litvinenko at the same Japanese restaurant in London two weeks apart and have since returned home.

Police have been studying security camera footage of the London locations — a hotel and a sushi restaurant — where Litvinenko met contacts a day before falling ill.

Traces of Polonium 210 were found in both places as well as at Litvinenko’s home and health officials have offered tests to members of the public who may have visited the locations.

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