Radioactive trail across Europe...

Following one of the most extensive criminal investigations in British history – and a £2.25million inquiry – the Mail here lays bare a blow-by-blow account of how the state-sponsored assassination of Alexander Litvinenko unfolded.

OCTOBER 2004

Sir Robert Owen believes Andrei Lugovoi may have started plotting when the pair met in London to discuss a ‘business proposal’. By then Mr Litvinenko was being paid £2,000 a month by the MI6 to pass information about organised gangs linked to senior Kremlin figures.

OCTOBER 16, 2006

Mr Litvinenko travels by bus to an office in Mayfair for a meeting in the boardroom of security firm Erinys. He meets consultant Tim Reilly, along with Russians Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, who had flown to London that morning on a from Moscow. They are carrying a vial of polonium-210 from a Russian nuclear reactor. They attempt to kill Litvinenko by spraying a small amount of polonium-210 into his cup. Sir Robert concluded that Lugovoi and Kovtun ‘knew they were using a deadly poison’ and intended to kill Litvinenko, but did not know precisely what the poison was.

The assassination f ai l s as Litvinenko does not take a sip. A month later the green baize tablecloth is still be contaminated with radiation. After the meeting they go for lunch at Itsu in Piccadilly, which is contaminated.

OCTOBER 17

The assassins move to the Parkes Hotel in Knightsbridge, which they also contaminate. Once again they meet Mr Litvinenko, but do not try to poison him.

OCTOBER 18

Lugovoi and Kovtun fly back to Moscow from Gatwick, contaminating the plane with radiation.

OCTOBER 19

Mr Litvinenko makes a speech publicly blaming Vladimir Putin for the murder of a Russian journalist.

OCTOBER 25

After an almost certain rebuke, Lugovoi returns to London, contaminating the aircraft.

OCTOBER 26

He meets a contact called Badri Patarkatsishvili, a wealthy Georgian, and contaminates his car. He is visited by Mr Litvinenko at his hotel, the Sheraton Park Lane, where radiation is also later found. They met the following day before he returned to Moscow on a BA flight.

OCTOBER 28

Kovtun flies from Moscow to Hamburg, where he visits his ex-wife. Traces of radiation are later found in her flat as well as locations including his mother-in-law’s home.

OCTOBER 31

Lugovoi arrives in London with his family on a BA plane that also tests positive for polonium. They were ostensibly visiting to watch CSKA Moscow football club play at Arsenal’s ground.

NOVEMBER 1

Kovtun arrives in London, meets Lugovoi and they start planning their assassination attempt by luring Mr Litvinenko to central London. Lugovoi calls Mr Litvinenko