THE murder of Alexander Litvinenko was an “act of nuclear terrorism on the streets of a major city,” the barrister representing his widow Marina Litvinenko told a public inquiry yesterday.

Giving an opening statement to the inquiry on its first day, Ben Emmerson QC said the death of Mr Litvinenko, who was affectionately known as Sasha, was “an act of unspeakable barbarism.”

He said: “Ms Litvinenko has as you know too well fought long and hard over many years to reach this day. The opening of a public inquiry into the political assassination of her husband in London.

“That murder was an act of unspeakable barbarism that inflicted on Sasha Litvinenko the most painful and lingering death imaginable.

“It was an act of nuclear terrorism on the streets of a major city which put the lives of numerous other members of the public at risk.”