The greatest spy saga of our time

I’m going to warn you up front that this is not one of my usual editorials about heavy-hitting political issues or pressing social problems. Nor is it about something that has been irking me lately that I just need to vent about. Instead, I want to tell you about how you can turn the simple act of perusing a newspaper into an emotional roller coaster ride that will keep you turning page after suspenseful page until the story’s exciting conclusion. In fact, I give it two thumbs up.

If you haven’t been following what is probably the most outrageous news story I’ve ever read, here’s a brief update: Last week, Alexander Litvinenko, a former Soviet KGB agent turned Kremlin critic, died in a London hospital while investigating the untimely death of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The cause of Litvinenko’s death? Exposure (likely ingestion) of polonium-210, an isotope usually only found in specialized nuclear facilities.

In a heart-wrenching plot twist, on his deathbed Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his death: “You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed… the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life.”

Because polonium-210 isn’t something the average person encounters every day, it’s safe to say that Litvinenko was poisoned intentionally - especially when he had ingested enough to make airplanes and restaurants he had visited radioactive enough to be detected weeks later.

Furthermore, polonium-210 can only be obtained from special nuclear processing facilities, meaning that there is a very short list of organizations that could get their hands on it. If that’s the case, why would the Russians use it to assassinate Litvinenko when it would be so easily traceable to them? Maybe someone else is trying to frame the Russians! Whoa! Another twist! What a wild ride!

To further thicken the plot, later investigation by British authorities revealed that on the day of his poisoning, Litvinenko met with an old friend, Italian security expert Mario Scaramella, who showed Litvinenko confidential e-mails naming possible killers of Anna Politkovskaya and discussing other assassination targets - including Litvinenko and Scaramella themselves! These guys are hardcore!

I mean, they are not only discussing suspected assassins, but the uncompleted hit lists of those assassins of which they themselves are on. What’s more, these two are chatting about this over lunch. When most people are talking about yesterday’s game or office politics, people like Litvinenko and Scaramella are discussing their imminent deaths. You can’t make this stuff up.

Well, you can. I guess spy novelists do it all the time. But the fact that this story is actually true and unfolding as you read this makes it that much more exciting. Each day I read the news, some questions are answered and new questions arise. Will the British investigators find Litvinenko’s killer? Or will they themselves suffer untimely deaths just as they are about to uncover the truth? Were the Russians framed? Is Scaramella really the “trusted friend” of Litvinenko or is he a double agent? Has Putin set a chain of events in motion that will destroy the Earth?

We will all have to read on to find out.