Contact of Poisoned Russian Is Arrested

Italian Faces Charges Of Arms Trafficking

ROME, Dec. 24 -- An Italian who met with a former Russian intelligence officer the day the Russian fell fatally ill from radiation poisoning was arrested Sunday, the man's father said.

The accusations against Mario Scaramella, which include international arms trafficking and slander, are not believed to be directly related to the investigation into the poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Scaramella, who is the first person connected to the poisoning case to be arrested, met Litvinenko at a sushi bar in London on Nov. 1, the day Litvinenko fell ill. Litvinenko died of poisoning from radioactive polonium-210 on Nov. 23.

The Italian's father, Amedeo Scaramella, said his son was arrested in Naples after returning from London and was being taken to Rome.

Scaramella's lawyer, Sergio Rastrelli, told RAI state television that his client was scheduled to be questioned Wednesday. Rastrelli said he expected Scaramella to tell investigators all his actions were "legitimate and rightful."

Scaramella has said he showed Litvinenko e-mails at the Nov. 1 meeting from a confidential source identifying the possible killers of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and listing other potential targets for assassination, including himself and Litvinenko.

On his deathbed, Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his poisoning, an allegation that the Kremlin denied.

Scaramella also was hospitalized for several days in London. He said doctors told him he had received five times the lethal dose of polonium-210, although he showed no symptoms. He left the hospital a few days later.

Overall, 10 people in Britain have tested positive for radiation since Litvinenko died, including two staff members at the Millennium Hotel in London.

The same day that he met with Scaramella, Litvinenko also met at the bar of the Millennium Hotel with Andrei Lugovoy, a former Soviet KGB agent; Dmitry Kovtun, a Russian businessman; and Vyacheslav Sokolenko, another former KGB officer who now heads a private Russian security firm.

All three men have denied involvement in Litvinenko's death.