Saddam's Bomb Maker: Iraq Working on 'Hiroshima Size' Nuke

NewsMax.com ^ | 2/19/2002 | Carl Limbacher

[ex-Texan]

Saddam's Bombmaker: Iraq Working on 'Hiroshima Size' Nuke

Iraqi madman Saddam Hussein will likely have a "Hiroshima size" nuclear bomb within the next 24 months, the physicist who headed up Iraq's nuclear weapons research program said Monday.

Citing U.S. intelligence estimates, Dr. Khidir Hamza told nationally syndicated radio taker Sean Hannity, "I don't think he has [nuclear weapons] right now but it may not take long for him to have it - a year or two probably."

"U.S. intelligence estimates at least a year. Germany estimates by 2005, three nuclear weapons," the top Iraqi nuke scientist said.

Dr. Hamza, who defected to the U.S. in 1994, warned about Hussein's nuclear weapons program in his autobiography, "Saddam's Bombmaker," three years ago. More recently he has been working closely with U.S. intelligence agencies.

He declined to describe the precise nature of his cooperation with those agencies, telling Hannity, "I cannot talk about that. You know that."

Hamza did reveal that the 1991 Gulf War interrupted Iraq's A-bomb program in its final stage, just as he and the rest of Saddam's nuke team were in the process of acquiring materials for the bomb's nuclear core.

HAMZA: We [scientists] dragged our feet. We really had enough material to make the bomb then. We delivered it now back to the French but we claimed that we could not extract enough uranium to put in a nuclear core. ...

HANNITY: So you're saying you did have enough - you could have built nuclear weapons but you dragged your feet?

HAMZA: We could have, yes. Actually, everybody [dragged their feet], including the chemists who were in the process of extracting the uranium from the French bureau. Nobody wanted to give Saddam a bomb because we know he would use it recklessly and finish Iraq with it. (End of Excerpt)

German intelligence now believes Hussein once again has all the bombmaking materials he needs except for the enriched uranium necessary for the nuclear core.

"According to the Germans he, more or less, has 30 to 35 percent of the technology needed to enrich uranium for bomb grade," said Hamza, adding, "so he will have enough uranium, and he already has a stockpile of uranium to use."

The top Iraqi nuke scientist said that, based on what he witnessed, Hussein is working on "Hiroshima size" weapons of "12 to 20 kilotons."

But he cautioned:

"There was some enhancement to the bomb that could raise it to 40 kilotons. So you are looking at [a]realistic nuclear weapons stockpile equivalent to that of, say, at least India and Pakistan - and if it continues, probably larger."

[JohnGalt]

Scaife funds the conspiracy industry for the Neo-Cons, IMO.

[cicero's_son]

I'll say it again: the scientists and engineers who work on these projects should be regarded as enemy soldiers actively attacking the United States.

We should leave no military or paramilitary option off the table in dealing with these people. Make the scientists and engineers think twice before embarking on a project that could lead to nuclear war or global destabilization.

[El Sordo]

Fracen, Germany, the UN, the US and others all helped Iraq establish their nuclear program.

Check out: Brighter than the Baghdad Sun

A pretty decent book outlining, in anecdotal form, Iraq's nuclear weapons program.

[Magician]

Unforunately, making a Hiroshima type bomb based on uranium is not terribly complex (a plutonium bomb is much more complicated). I won't go into details. The major problem is getting sufficient weapons grade enriched uranium to reach "critical mass".

[doug from upland]

Fortunately we have a president who both understands the problem and is willing to do what is necessary to solve it.

[Argus]

where is Saddam getting his enriched uranium (if it is Hiroshima weapon) from?

Russian black market.

[Bobby777]

Russian black market.

yeah, but you can't exactly throw that stuff in a paper bag and put it in your briefcase ... it has to be handled properly or the handlers are dead in about 3 days ... are any of Iran's reactors active yet?

[Timesink]

Iraqi madman Saddam Hussein will likely have a "Hiroshima size" nuclear bomb within the next 24 months.

Saddam is not going to be around in 24 months. End of problem.

[Mamzelle]

Ah, the French, again...

[Zviadist]

This is the same idiot who said the anthrax attack was "definitely" from Saddam. He has an agenda and he says what he is told to say. He has zero credibility.

[nettlsome]

Saddam has a problem before him. With all his riches and monuments a great and historicle country. I do believe the only way and a great way would to take a high road. This would require alot of retoric to be dimissed on both sides. We have here a man of thoughts of grandeur and if he can't leave this wourld with a built up nation he may just as well go down flaming in the history books. At some point in those dark hours he must be thinking there is a way, a high road to take which will help him and his country. Would that there be an asteroid or something threaghtening the planet he could use those missiles on. Something to justify all the work. We don't know what it's like. We feel for the civilians. Something is going to happen soon. I think a meeting and sorting out is proper first.

[Ditto]

Are the frogs helping Iraq make a nuclear weapon?

The Frogs will help anyone for a frank. When it comes to business and foreign relations, they are total whores.

[Snidely Whiplash]

where is Saddam getting his enriched uranium (if it is Hiroshima weapon) from?

Isn't lots of uranium still mined in Africa? I can't imagine that it would be difficult for a
sufficiently motivated (and funded) megalomaniac to get a decent quantity of the
stuff.

Snidely

[Lion's Cub]

Indexing

[Scorpian]

"George W. Bush is making the elimination of terrorists his number one priority, and he should" This is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard in my life. The US government firstly supported, trainined, equiped and funded Afganie terrorists and then turned against them for what happened in NY,with no public evidence that they done it. The only good thing he done there was forcing the Taliban out of power. He however still funds and equips Albanian terrorists today in the balkans which has lead to 2 wars (Kosovo & Macedonia) and you call that defeating terrorists? Albanian terrorism has grown rapidly throughout Europe, even Poland is problems containing them and Bush continues to support them. Terror goes way beyond Afganastan and Iraq, the problem is Bush is too focused on the world's oil supply that he forgets Europe. These terrorists then use the US forign policy to their benifit as allowed by you're government to terrorize people. I think Bush is "the axis of evil" in todays world.

[motorhead]

French again?

[Stultis]

The last time Newsmax brought us a 'nuke story' it was the Russian nukes that were going to launch with the Y2K bug. Yellow journalism at its worst.

I agree about Newsmax. I am exremely frustrated with their sloppy, substandard editorial control and reporting. (WND is even worse.) Unfortunately, however, Hamza is the real deal and I believe him, and believe this story.

[Jeremiah Jr]

Zechariah saw it...

[Bob J]

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