An exiled Russian businessman associated with a number one critic of Vladimir Putin used to be murdered at his London home precise over per week after a nerve agent attack on a historical witness, police have revealed.
Investigators imagine Nikolai Glushkov used to be strangled with a dogs lead, a source told The Just.
Officers whisper there is rarely a evidence to point out the Mr Glushkov;s loss of life and the tried assassination of Sergei Skripal are linked, nevertheless the timing is more seemingly to intensify tensions with the Kremlin precise two days earlier than presidential elections.
Mr Glushkov used to be found dead at his home in Original Malden, south-west London, on Monday night time.
Scotland Yard initially treated the 68-twelve months-inclined’s loss of life as unexplained nevertheless a autopsy examination gave the residence off of loss of life as “compression to the neck”.
“The Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Expose, which has led the investigation from the outset, is now treating Mr Glushkov’s loss of life as execute,” a spokesperson acknowledged.
“As a precaution, the command is maintaining primacy for the investigation thanks to the associations Mr Glushkov is believed to have had.”
He used to be a end friend of exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who used to be himself a pal of murdered witness Alexander Litvinenko.
Mr Berezovsky used to be found hanged in the bathroom of his Berkshire home in 2013.
Police acknowledged a autopsy showed no signal of a violent fight, and an inquest recorded an open verdict after hearing conflicting evidence.
On the time, Mr Glushkov acknowledged he believed his friend had been murdered, telling The Guardian: “I don’t imagine Boris died of natural causes. Too many deaths [of Russian exiles] were occurring.”
Mr Berezovsky’s loss of life is amongst as much as 14 being reviewed by police and MI5 in light of the nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
Mr Glushkov labored for Mr Berezovsky’s LogoVaz car company in Russia, earlier than changing into basically the main deputy commonplace director for Russia’s flag provider Aeroflot in the plain Nineties.
He served a five-twelve months term for cash laundering and fraud in Russia, then fled the country after being handed a two-twelve months suspended sentence for fraud in 2006.
Closing twelve months, he used to be sentenced to eight years imprisonment and a 1 million ruble beautiful in absentia for allegedly defrauding Aeroflot – a case that persisted on the time of his loss of life.
Mr Glushkov, who has two children, used to be attributable to wait on a industrial court hearing on Monday morning nevertheless did no longer reach, sparking issues amongst chums who later confirmed his loss of life.
His LinkedIn page listed him as a “non-public advisor” in monetary companies and products since 2011.
Police described Mr Glushkov as a “retired monetary director” and acknowledged he had lived in the home in Clarence Avenue for two years.
“At this stage there is nothing to point out any link to the tried murders in Salisbury, nor any evidence that he used to be poisoned,” a spokesperson acknowledged.
“Detectives are maintaining an open mind and are appealing for any records that will succor the investigation into Mr Glushkov’s execute to contact them in confidence on 0800 789 321.
“In particular they are appealing for somebody who could maybe well have viewed or heard the leisure suspicious at or reach his home in Clarence Avenue, Original Malden, between Sunday eleven March and Monday 12 March to contact them.
“There are no wider public health issues in the case of this investigation.”
Russia’s official Investigations Committee has launched its non-public prison investigations into the tried execute of the Skripals and Mr Glushkov’s loss of life.
The Tass news company quoted spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko as announcing that the investigations “could maybe be performed in step with the Russian regulations and global regulation”, including the committee used to be prepared to cooperate with British regulation enforcement.
One amongst Mr Glushkov’s neighbours, Patricia Egan, acknowledged police had wondered local residents about what they’d viewed and heard of the businessman or his dogs.
“I’m precise in shock – this fine neighbour, he used to be a shining fellow,” she added, recalling visits from his grownup daughter.
“[Mr Glushkov] told me she had gone to a Swiss finishing college, he acknowledged he used to be making an strive to power her to learn Russian.
“He also had a son nevertheless he lived in Moscow I non-public.”
Ms Egan acknowledged Mr Glushkov used to be shimmering, expert, and neatly-mannered, good and appropriate, noting that he spoke very appropriate English.
She also revealed he had an operation a few months prior to now on one amongst his legs for arthritis, including: “He didn’t exit mighty thanks to his illnesses, he had something wrong along with his coronary heart and had a few strokes.”
Ms Egan acknowledged her neighbour’s birthday used to be on Christmas Eve and that they’d “popped in for a glass of wine” to celebrate, including that he “aged to have loads of oldsters over”.
“It used to be a Russian house, all brown furnishings,” Ms Egan added. “He told me he used to be from Georgia and consistently acknowledged how shining it used to be.”
Extra reporting by PA
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