Curveball: 'I Am Not To Blame' for U.S. War in Iraq

Following the U.S. invasion and subsequent fall of Saddam Hussein, former U.N. weapons inspector David Kay was sent to Iraq to uncover chemical and biological weapons and labs. Kay told Der Spiegel that once he learned that the entire weapons claim was based on just one source, Curveball, he assigned two of his staff members to investigate Curveball. It was then, Kay told Der Spiegel, that they learned of the extent of his lies.

Curveball's mother told Kay's staff that Curveball did not graduate at the top of his class, as he had told the Germans, but that he barely managed to finish his education with a D average. Even more disturbing, Curveball had told the Germans that he had worked in the weapons program until 1998, but he wasn't even in Iraq in 1998, according to the Der Spiegel report.

Finally, Kay's team learned that an arrest warrant had been issued for Curveball in 1998 after he was accused of stealing 1.5 million dinars' worth of goods. That was the real reason he left the country.

Kay told Der Spiegel that he believes German intelligence did not adequately investigate their source before passing on his information.

"That was dishonest, unprofessional and irresponsible," Kay told Der Spiegel.

The BND for their part did not officially respond to Der Spiegel's interview request, but a high-ranking German intelligence official is quoted as saying that the U.S. is ultimately at fault.

"We simply passed on information, no evaluations," the official told Der Spiegel. "The U.S. bears responsibility for what happened at the Security Council."

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage.