LONDON - Murder squad detectives in London launched an investigation Friday into the mysterious death of a Russian businessman living in the British capital.

Nikolay Glushkov, aged 68, was found dead on Monday at his home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden.

A special post mortem began Thursday and detectives at the Met received the pathologist report today which gave the cause of death as compression to the neck.

The Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command, which has led the investigation from the outset, is now treating Glushkov's death as murder.

Glushkov, a retired financial director, was a Russian national who had lived at the address in New Malden for two years. His family has been informed and is being supported by police liaison officers.

A Met spokesman said at this stage there is nothing to suggest any link to the attempted murders in Salisbury, nor any evidence that he was poisoned.