Baghdad
Back in the 1990s, Saddam Hussein told aides that the U.S. could be hit by a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction. The comment was included in 12 hours of tapes of the former Iraqi dictator’s conversations with his ministers. The CIA discovered the tapes in Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003. Bill Tierney, a former U.N. inspector who translated the tapes for the FBI, provided them to ABC News last week. “Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans,” Saddam is heard saying. “In the future, what would prevent a booby-trapped car causing a nuclear explosion in Washington, or a germ or a chemical one?” ABC’s translation indicated that Saddam was warning the U.S. about terrorism from other sources, not Iraq. But Tierney said Saddam was brainstorming on how to attack the U.S. using terrorist proxies.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.