Berezovsky would-be killer deported

The man was arrested in central London on June 21 and handed over to immigration officials two days later, Scotland Yard said.

Detectives were so concerned for Mr Berezovsky's safety they asked him to leave the country while they foiled the plot. Mr Berezovsky said he was pleased Scotland Yard had confirmed his story and that he was no longer the source of the story.

"I am happy that Britain is very strong in protecting people in this country," he told BBC News 24.

He said it was "useless" to try to protect himself against such assassination attempts but would rely on the protection of the UK which had offered him asylum. He added: "It is very strange that British Government protects a Russian citizen in London and to the contrary Russia tries to kill a Russian citizen in London."

The alleged assassination plot is likely to put further strain on London-Moscow relations.

Mr Berezovsky, 61, is a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was a friend of murdered former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Britain is waiting for Russia's response to its expulsion of four diplomats in the row over the extradition of Andrei Lugovoy, suspected of killing Mr Litvinenko.

It is believed the alleged killer planned to murder Mr Berezovsky at the Hilton hotel in London's prestigious Park Lane neighbourhood. However officers from the British security services MI5 and MI6 were tipped off and intervened, The Sun said.

The newspaper claimed the potential assassin planned to lure Mr Berezovsky to a meeting and had taken a child with him so he looked less suspicious. A Whitehall source said: "Boris Berezovsky is a high-profile critic of the Russian government. Our experience is that the Russians are prepared to take action against their critics."

Mr Berezovsky told the news conference earlier that he received threatening letters as soon as he had moved to the UK. Then in 2002 he was officially informed by Scotland Yard that there was a plot to kill him.