Iraqi defector admits lying about Iraq WMD to get rid of Saddam Hussein regime

Washington, Feb 16 (ANI): An Iraqi defector whose claims that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed biological weapons of mass destruction had persuaded the US to invade the oil rich country in 2003, has admitted for the first time he had "fabricated" some facts to get rid of the autocratic regime.

Rafid Ahmed al-Janabi's claims had convinced former US President George Bush that Iraq had possessed mobile bio-weapons trucks and secret factories, the Daily Mail reports.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right. They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy," the paper quoted him, as saying.

Janabi, who had fled Iraq in 1995, admitted that: "I had a problem with the Saddam regime. I wanted to get rid of him and now I had this chance."

The false claims of Janabi, who now lives in Germany, was used as key information by President Bush's secretary of state, Colin Powell, to justify the Iraq invasion during his speech to the United Nations (UN) on February 5, 2003.

During the speech, Powell described Janabi as "an Iraqi chemical engineer" who "supervised one of these facilities," adding: "He actually was present during biological agent production runs and was also at the site when an accident occurred in 1998."

Janabi had reportedly met repeatedly with German intelligence officials beginning in 2000. They refused to allow C.I.A. officials to meet directly with him, but provided the Americans with reports of what he had said. (ANI)