Georgi Markov assassination
The assassination of Georgi Markov occurred between September 7 and 11, 1978, in London, where he was fatally poisoned with ricin, a potent toxin derived from castor beans. Markov, a Bulgarian defector and outspoken critic of the communist regime in Bulgaria, was targeted due to his critical broadcasts for the BBC and Radio Free Europe. The method of assassination involved a sophisticated device—a pellet containing ricin—implanted in his leg via an umbrella by an unidentified man with a foreign accent. Following the incident, Markov developed severe symptoms and died three days later in a hospital, leading to a forensic investigation that uncovered the pellet, which was crafted from platinum and iridium and designed to deliver the fatal poison upon insertion.
The investigation suggested the involvement of the Bulgarian secret police, with significant support from the KGB, the Soviet Union's security agency, highlighting the political motivations behind the assassination. High-ranking KGB defectors later confirmed the agency's involvement, and it was believed that the assassination was ordered by Bulgarian dictator Todor Zhivkov, coincidentally on his birthday. Markov's case remains a notable example of Cold War espionage and the extreme measures taken against dissidents.
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Georgi Markov assassination
DATE: September 7-11, 1978
THE EVENT: Georgi Markov, a defector from communist Bulgaria, was poisoned with ricin in London.
SIGNIFICANCE: Forensic science was instrumental in determining the cause of death and the method used in Markov’s murder, establishing that the likely perpetrator acted with the assistance of a sophisticated organization such as the Soviet Union’s secret police, the KGB.
Born in Bulgaria on March 1, 1929, Georgi Markov became a famous writer. Although some of his works were censored by Bulgaria’s communist government, Markov was a government-accredited author, and he was allowed to travel to Italy to visit his brother. In 1969, he defected to the United Kingdom and began broadcasting for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service and the U.S.-sponsored Radio Free Europe, in which capacity he frequently criticized the Bulgarian communist regime. The Bulgarian government hated Markov’s criticism and decided to have him killed, turning to the Soviet Union’s KGB for assistance.
Bulgarian KGB agents attempted and failed twice to kill Markov before they succeeded in implanting in his leg a small sphere containing the deadly poison ricin (a substance derived from castor beans) on September 7, 1978. Before he died a few days later, Markov said that a man had poked him in the leg with the tip of an umbrella while he was waiting for a bus on Waterloo Bridge in London. The man, who apologized for bumping him, spoke in a foreign accent. Later, Markov noticed a small red pimple on his calf. The next day, he developed a high fever and was admitted to a London hospital, where he died three days later.
British authorities ordered forensic pathologists to conduct a complete autopsy. They found a pinhead-sized spherical pellet made of 90 percent platinum and 10 percent iridium embedded in Markov’s calf. The pellet had two small holes forming an X-shaped cavity in which traces of ricin were found. The poison had been sealed in the pellet with a sugary substance that melted at body temperature. Ricin is fatal even in small quantities and has no known antidote.
Although could not confirm that the pellet was inserted into Markov by the tip of an umbrella, the specialized construction of the pellet left no doubt as to the involvement of a sophisticated group such as the KGB. Subsequently, a number of high-ranking KGB defectors, including Oleg Kalugin and Oleg Gordievsky, confirmed that the KGB was involved in the assassination.
Before his death, Markov said he was certain Bulgarian dictator Todor Zhivkov had ordered the assassination. The attack took place on Zhivkov's birthday, in fact. The KGB enlisted Francesco Gullino, an Italian criminal, to fire the pellet into Markov using the KGB-created weapon.
Bibliography
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