Doubting Iraq's Ties to al-Qaeda

French investigators are throwing cold water on a key element of Secretary of State Colin Powell's case that there is a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. During his Feb. 5 presentation to the United Nations, Powell fingered Abu Mousab Zarqawi as the crucial figure, contending that police and intelligence information from recently arrested European terror suspects proves that Zarqawi commanded al-Qaeda terror camps in and around Chechnya from a base in Iraq. But French investigators tell TIME that while they have questioned several suspects who acknowledged being trained in those Chechen camps and who identified al-Qaeda officials they say ran the...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!