British spy chief in coma as Yard denies assassination claims

The head of the Government's top spy committee is in a coma in hospital after falling mysteriously ill, it emerged today.

Alex Allan, who chairs the Joint Intelligence Committee, was found collapsed at home on Monday and his condition is said to be critical.

Scotland Yard denied speculation that he may have been the victim of an assassination attempt aimed at the heart of Britain's intelligence community.

Security sources denied any connections with the murder of Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 or recent rumours of an attempt against KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky.

Mr Litvinenko died after his tea was poisoned with radioactive polonium allegedly by members of the Russian security services.

Mr Gordievsky was taken ill last autumn and has told friends he was the victim of a deliberate attack, a claim the security services have denied.

Mr Allan, who is responsible for assessing material produced by the UK's three main spy agencies, is one of Whitehall's most senior civil servants.

As a close adviser of the Prime Minister he has intimate knowledge of security matters raised by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and would be an obvious target for foreign intelligence services.

Alexander Litvinenko shortly before he died from poisoning. Russia is now the third biggest threat to national security

The Metropolitan Police rushed officers to his bedside as soon as Mr Allan was taken to hospital after being alerted that he was a senior figure from the world of intelligence.

But their inquiries produced no evidence of foul-play or any suggestions that he might have tried to take his own life. In a statement Scotland Yard ruled it was a "non suspicious" incident.

Sources said it appeared that Mr Allan had fallen ill at home at some point at the weekend and lay undiscovered until Monday afternoon.

"It's a mystery. He's suffered some fairly traumatic and sudden illness that hasn't been helped by the fact that he lay undiscovered for some time," a friend said.

Friends who saw him last week said he appeared "his usual ebullient self" although he later complained of feeling unwell. He had discussed with colleagues his plans for the summer.

It also appeared that Mr Allan, who is well known in Whitehall as a fan of the 1970s American cult group the Grateful Dead, visited a site dedicated to the band on Saturday morning.

Mr Allan led the disciplinary proceedings into a member of the JIC staff who was investigated earlier this year for the loss of top-secret documents on a train.

His wife, the artist Katie Clemson, died last year after a seven year battle against cancer.

Seriously ill: Allan was a close advise rof Tony Blair on security matters

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Alex Allan was taken ill on Monday and transferred to a London hospital. We cannot discuss his condition as it is a private matter."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We were made aware of a man in his late 50s who was taken to a London hospital after being taken ill at his home address. He remains in a serious condition. This is being treated as non-suspicious."

Allan is a keen sportsman. He is seen here windsurfing to work in a suit and bowler hat

The JIC is part of the Cabinet Office and responsible for briefing the Prime Minister on a weekly basis. Personnel from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ sit on the committee, and the chairman collates their findings and presents them to the Prime Minister and other senior ministers.

Mr Allan was appointed to the position last November. He was previously permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice.