Russian prosecutors say British police request assistance in Litvinenko case

British police investigating the poisoning death of a former KGB spy have officially requested assistance from their Russian counterparts and are soon due in Moscow to collect information, prosecutors said Monday.

Photo: Russian prosecutors say British police request assistance in Litvinenko case

Alexander Litvinenko, 43, died Nov. 23 in London after being exposed to a rare radioactive element.

The Prosecutor General's office said in a statement they have agreed to help Scotland Yard officers in their probe. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Russia has already issued visas for the team, reports AP.

British law enforcement authorities have said a team of nine officers plan to travel to Moscow within days to interview several people, including Andrei Lugovoi, another former spy who met Litvinenko on Nov. 1 the day he fell ill. FBI agents have also been involved in the probe.

In a deathbed accusation Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the poisoning. The Kremlin has vehemently denied the accusations.