Russia: Arafat did not die from radiation poisoning

Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of natural causes and not radiation poisoning, the head of a Russian state forensics agency that tested samples taken from his body said.

The finding was in line with an assessment by French scientists who said earlier this month that Arafat, who died in 2004, had not been killed with radioactive polonium.

Swiss forensic experts said that their tests of samples taken from Arafat's body were consistent with polonium poisoning, while not absolute proof of the cause of death.

Samples were taken from Arafat's body in November 2012 by Swiss, French and Russian experts after an al Jazeera documentary said his clothes showed high amounts of polonium.