Cake laced with the poison thallium has caused the death of two and serious illness in several Iraqis. You remember thallium killed former Russian KGB colonel, Alexander Litvinenko, 43 - a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was living in Britain.
At least two of the poison victims, the secretary of the Iraqi air force club and his daughter, are critically ill in Amman. They and half-a-dozen other patients suffering from thallium poisoning were flown from Baghdad to Amman as the necessary treatments and antidotes were not available in Iraq. Britain responded to a request for help from the World Health Organization and medication was flown out.
Lethal poison: Thallium is a lethal poison much used by Saddam Hussein’s regime against its opponents. It has not surfaced since his overthrow. It is an ideal assassin’s tool, being tasteless and easy to administer, and its effects take some time to appear. It then causes a lingering and painful death. An antidote known as Prussian Blue can be effective if taken quickly.
An investigation is under way in Baghdad, but the affair remains shrouded in mystery. The manager of the air force club told the BBC he believed it was carried out by conspirators with a grudge against the club’s administration. In what appeared to be a goodwill gesture, a former official delivered two cakes laced with thallium. They were taken home by two officials and eaten by their families, who all fell ill. (National Terror Alert and BBC)
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Could've sworn that it was Polonium 210 that got Litvinenko. Doesn't matter too much, either way. he's dead, and the killer is still loose.
Posted by: Stormwarning | February 11, 2008 at 02:31 PM