Isn't there some mystic connection between his interest in Grateful Dead and his condition? Or is it all again Russian FSB's fault as with Litvinenko - may be they are now employing new paranormal technics under which even dead would be grateful? :)) Anyway - let him recover soon or rest in peace.

Alex, Moscow, Russia

"Alex Allan is well known for his love of wind-surfing and the Greatful Dead"

Please sort this out.

Ben, London,

Hold on, how can two bobbies in a West End Hospital "know" the significance of the name Alex Allan and initiate such an investigation.
Is the Met in the habit of trawling the name of the sick and ill admitted to hospital in the war on terror?

Neil, London, UK

Bit quick to read between the lines aren't you there, Matthew? Quite possibly, the Police found out he was on there by looking at the site itself - a post on a message board, perhaps? Or he may have mentioned to a friend/colleague who telephoned to ask how he was feeling.

David, London,

"The police discovered, however, that he was well enough to visit his favourite website on the Grateful Dead rock group as recently as Saturday. " Crikey. Browsing the web's not exactly the most strenuous activity though, is it? And it was two days before he collapsed.

ben, london,

Now the authorities rejects the poisoning, so may be he's just had a stroke.
BUT - look at the NO COMMENTS on the web! Only Russian News.ru.com yesterday published about the accident. And nothing on Fox or CNN or even BBC...
All this looks suspicious and reminds the John Le Carre novel. I'm praying for his complete recovery.

Luda, Pensacola,Fl, US

And 'Two officers happened to be at the hospital. . .and recognised his name.' What a remarkable coincidence! He is hardly a well-known name. And were they observing everybody admitted in a coma?

tom squires, Macc,

Given the importance of this particular individual to Britain`s National Security interests it would be remiss not to do this and a whole lot more. This is not an "ordinary" man in the street we are talking about after all.

tUff, Cambridge,

Have you thought that the police checked his computer to see if it had been tampered with, possibly after he had been poisoned? They would not be bale to use any incriminating evidence they found without a warrant anyway.

Rob, Singapore,

Where did he collapse? I'm sorry but if i knew who someone worked for JIC and they fell into a 'mysterious coma', i'd have contacted the police. How did 2 officers just happen to find him there.? ALl sounds like fabulous fodder for conspiracay theorists but very unfortunate for poor Mr Allan.

Elizabeth, Abu Dhabi,

Matthew, Bucks,

I suspect that if it gives the police any clues, Mr Allan will not be to bothered about it. Victim's possessions can provide valuable evidence too you know.

A computer forensic analyst for the police signs the official secrets act (done it myself) so what's the problem?

Alex, London,

We all pray for Mr. Allen's quick recovery.

On the official level, we must ask if it is indeed intelligent that an official who "does not have an intelligence background" ...becomes the Government's top intelligence advisor. This sounds like something out of Gilbert & Sullivan!

Garth Strong, Houston, USA

An individual of tremendous energy and enthusiasm for his work, I'm sure that I'm echoing the sentiments of all who know Alex Allan well by wishing him a speedy recovery!

Simon Moores, Westgate,

We are praying for his complete recovery. Alex Allan is one of the smartest, most balanced men in government, and a great gentleman as well.

David E Grimes, Pasadena, CA, USA

And where does it say that they accessed his computer? There are numerous ways you could check when he last logged onto the site, without touching his personal data.

Brian, Edinburgh,

"Is that allowed?"

Given that he is such an important figure in security and intelligence services, I'm sure there would be some clause allowing unauthorised access to his computer at a time like this - and he would probably support it.

Oli

Oli, London, UK

...good point, how can it be? I can't thing of any circumstance that could justify why his computer was searched, even remotely, without a warrant.

Simon , London,

How "well" do you need to be to visit a Grateful Dead web site? Is it physically taxing?

Ginny, Abingdon, UK

Even after ruling out foul play and despite the fact Mr Allan is not accused of anything, the police have already trawled through his computer. Is that allowed?

Matthew, Bucks, UK