Luminol – The Search for Blood.

28 September 2010

Chemoluminescence with Luminol

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The luminol chemiluminescence reaction is responsible for the glow of lightsticks. The reaction is used by criminalists to detect traces of blood at crime scenes. In this test, luminol powder (C8H7O3N3) is mixed with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a hydroxide (e.g., KOH) in a spray bottle. The luminol solution is sprayed where blood might be found. The iron from the hemoglobin in the blood serves as a catalyst for the chemiluminescence reaction that causes luminol to glow, so a blue glow is produced when the solution is sprayed where there is blood. Only a tiny amount of iron is required to catalyze the reaction. The blue glow lasts for about 30 seconds before it fades, which is enough time to take photographs of the areas so they can be investigated more thoroughly. Here’s how you can detect blood yourself or demonstrate how to do it:

Luminol Materials

  • luminol stock solution (2 g luminol + 15 g potassium hydroxide + 250 mL water)
  • 3% hydrogen peroxide in water (common over-the-counter concentration)
  • potassium ferricyanide or a sterile blood lancet and sterile alcohol pad

Performing the Test or Demonstration

  • In a clear test tube or cup, mix 10 ml of the luminol solution and 10 ml of the peroxide solution.
  • You can activate the glow either by adding ~0.1 g of potassium ferricyanide to the solution or with a drop of blood. The blood must be on the alcohol pad. The forensic test is for dried or latent blood, so the reaction between the alcohol and fresh blood is necessary.

Notes About the Luminol Test

  • In addition to iron and iron compounds, other substances can catalyze the luminol reaction. Copper and its compounds, horseradish, and bleach also cause the solution to glow. So, you could substitute any of these materials for the drop of blood or potassium ferricyanide in the demonstration. Similarly, the presence of these chemicals at a crime scene affects testing for blood. If a crime scene was washed in bleach, for example, the whole area would glow when sprayed with luminol, making it necessary to use a different test to find traces of blood.
  • If you are doing the reaction as a chemiluminescence demonstration, you can kick the display up a notch by dissolving the potassium ferricyanide in the peroxide solution and using a fractionating column or glass spiral to react the solutions rather than a test tube. You could pour a small amount of fluorescein in the bottom of a flask, pour the potassium ferricyanide solution through the spiral into the flask, and (in a darkened room) finish by adding the luminol solution. The spiral will glow blue as it passes through the column, but the glow will change to bright green once the luminol touches the fluorescein in the flask.
  • Don’t drink the luminol solution. Don’t get it on your skin or in your eyes. If you prepare a spray bottle of luminol solution to check for traces of blood, keep in mind the solution might be damaging to some surfaces. That’s not a big factor at a crime scene, but it’s something to keep in mind at home or in class. Don’t spray upholstery or clothing or people.
  • I am told you can use much less luminol (~50 mg) and still achieve enough luminescence for a demonstration or for crime work.

How the Test Works

The iron in the hemoglobin found in blood catalyzes an oxidation reaction in which the luminol gains oxygen atoms while losing nitrogen and hydrogen. This produces a compound called 3-aminophthalate. The electrons in the 3-aminophthalate are in an excited state. Blue light is emitted as energy is released when the electrons return to the ground state.

Luminol is only a tool and will give the Law Enforcement agency enough evidence to satisfy further investigations.

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Briton ‘missing in Afghanistan’

26 September 2010

100607-A-4544P-009

Image by isafmedia via Flickr

“Briton ‘missing in Afghanistan’”

An urgent search is under way to locate a female British aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan.

The unnamed woman was abducted in Kunar province, north-east Afghanistan, alongside three Afghan nationals with whom she is thought to have been working.

The international development professional for Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) was travelling in a convoy of two vehicles when insurgents attacked their party.

Kunar police chief Khalilullah Zaiyi said officers chased after the kidnappers and were engaged in a brief firefight before the men escaped.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm a British national has been abducted in Afghanistan. We are working closely with all the relevant local authorities. We are also in touch with the family and are providing consular assistance.”

American aid contractor DAI also has a London office.

Local tribal elders are believed to be assisting in the search for the three missing people.

An attack was launched on DAI offices in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, in July, in which a British private security guard was killed.

Shaun Sexton, a 29-year-old former member of the Parachute Regiment, worked for DAI’s security sub-contractor, Edinburgh International. Three other security guards employed by the firm, two Afghans and one German, were also killed.

Last month, British aid worker Dr Karen Woo was shot dead with nine colleagues in Afghanistan. They were returning from delivering medical supplies to poor Afghans in remote mountain communities, in an expedition organised by Kabul-based Christian charity the International Assistance Mission.

News

Reading this on your mobile device? Try The Evening Standard now by clicking http://ThisIsLondon.mwap.at.

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No fingerprints on this one boss!

23 September 2010

Two coast guards jump out of a helicopter into...

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I have been silent on the goings on for a long time and there is a reason for this that I will not go into now.

But also I don’t want to turn you against the Government or SAUTT because used in the correct manner both are very good for Trinidad & Tobago.

unfortunately that has not always been the case.

Here is a news report from yesterdays newspaper…

AG: SAUTT broke the law

By ANDRE BAGOO Wednesday, September 22 2010

Questioned during the lunch break of the 2011 Budget debate at the public gallery of the Red House, Ramlogan said the status of law with regard to surveillance was clear. “Wiretapping and interception is in fact illegal,” Ramlogan said. “There is no legislative support for such activity. That is why we have decided to restructure and re-organize SAUTT.”

“Part of the restructuring and re-organising process will include legislative intervention – if necessary – to enable us to lawfully do these things if that is in fact a policy decision,” he added. “That is a matter that has not been discussed by Cabinet and is a matter we’ll have to deliberate upon in due course.”

Sunday Newsday this week revealed that the Prime Minister was subject to telephone surveillance without her knowledge or consent. On Monday, then SAUTT director Brigadier Peter Joseph, in a press-release, denied spying on politicians including Persad-Bissessar and “wiretapping her telephone”. Joseph’s denial did not stop the Prime Minister from dismissing him that same day. Yesterday, Independent Senator Ralph Balgobin criticised Joseph for denying intercepting the phones of politicians. “The head of SAUTT saying, ‘we not spying on politicians’. That cannot be true,” Balgobin said, speaking during the morning portion of yesterday’s debate.

“I have seen for myself that calls are monitored. There is more than one way to monitor a call. You do not just have to do wiretapping. And the telecommunication services in this country and the intelligence agencies in this country have that capability and they use it,” Balgobin said.

“In fact, I think the people who have the least access to these technologies and databases would be the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and I say that with some knowledge of things,” Balgobin added. “I don’t think it’s right to say there is no spying taking place. Far from it.” He noted that there were claims that SAUTT was only spying on criminals.

“If they are criminals, why you don’t have them in jail? And how do you know they are criminals to spy on them?” Balgobin asked. He agreed with steps to downsize SAUTT. Sources this week indicated that further dismissals are due to take place at SAUTT, amidst questions over the productivity of highly-paid foreign staff at that unit. Attention has also been focused on the activities of one official, said to have been in charge of SAUTT’s surveillance operations. Further details over the extent of SAUTT’s spying also continued to trickle out, with sources indicating that orders were issued for SAUTT to spy on its own members, including staff said to be disliked by a high-ranking SAUTT official.

Ramlogan said the dismissal of Joseph was “one that was necessary to facilitate the re- engineering and re-organisation of SAUTT.”

“Also, there are issues about financial accountability,” he said. “A lot of money has been invested in SAUTT and one would have to look into it and see if we got good value for money and also whether the equipment acquired was done so in the right and transparent manner and in a manner that benefits the population of Trinidad and Tobago.”

He used the controversial Skyship (blimp) as an example. “Has it been effectively utilised and deployed in the fight against crime? Was it value for money or was it just another pie in the sky?” he asked. He noted that the blimp’s fate was in the hands of a Government-appointed steering committee announced on Monday to restructure SAUTT.

Meanwhile…

Forget the forensics then!

SEIZED: Cops examine the arms and ammunition seized on Tuesday at a house in St Albans Road in Valencia. From left are Police Constables Stacey Brooks…

CHAIRMAN of the Police Service Commission, Nizam Mohammed, yesterday publicly praised the tenure of former Ag Police Commissioner, James Philbert, as he urged police officers to desist from “militant” conduct under new CoP Dwayne Gibbs.

“Special mention has to be made to Mr James Philbert, who in the spirit of true patriotism, performed remarkably beyond his retirement, no doubt at significant personal expense,” Mohammed said in a speech at a stakeholders meeting held featuring new CoP Dwayne Gibbs.

This month, Philbert initiated legal proceedings against the PSC for his abrupt dismissal on August 27 last.

On that day, Philbert received a letter from the PSC indicating that his contract was terminated effective August 30. The two-line letter was signed by Mohammed. Following this action the PSC sent out a press release indicating that the decision to bring Philbert’s contract to an end was a result of the transition process in the Police Service.

With the President of the Police Social and Welfare Association, Sgt Anand Ramesar, in the audience, Mohammed also urged police officers to offer their full support to new CoP Gibbs.

“Militant utterances will only serve to subvert the genuine efforts being made to reform the Service and lend comfort to the criminal elements,” Mohammed said. “The public is very vigilant, and will condone none of that.”

He continued, “for far too long, the law-abiding citizens of our beloved country have had to witness their enshrined rights under the Constitution, being whittled with little or no hope of redress.”

Mohammed hinted that the PSC will lobby for the re-instatement of the Police Complaints Authority, and Firearms Appeal Board.

“The collaborative approach of the CoP and his executive, the Ministry of National Security and the Police Service Commission must get the job done in the shortest possible time. If we do our part successfully, then we shall be in a strong position to call for the removal of the bottlenecks that exist in the justice system, the re-establishment of the Police Complaints Authority, the Firearms Appeal Board, and an efficiently functioning Legal Aid and Advisory Authority,” Mohammed said. “Crime must continue to be everybody’s concern, and crime-fighting everybody’s business.” At the same time, he noted that under the Constitution it was not the function of the PSC to manage the police, but rather to assess the performance of the CoP.

“The nation has waited, complained and will be watching closely and listening attentively for further progress in the general policing of the country. Given all the circumstances I can assure you that expectations are high,” Mohammed added.

The President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) Gregory About, National Parent/Teacher Association President Zena Ramatahali, and President of the Police Social and Welfare Association, Sgt Anand Ramesar, all offered their support to Gibbs and Ewatski at yesterday’s event.

Now dont get me wrong I love a challenge but I would never have taken on the massive one Gibbs has now got.

Turning an organisation round is a huge task (ask Sir Hugh Ord, PSNI) So i wish him the best of luck…

But with the show in the picture above which was taken and used with the following paragraph:

SEIZED: Cops examine the arms and ammunition seized on Tuesday at a house in St Albans Road in Valencia. From left are Police Constables Stacey Brooks, Ronald Ragoobar, Dave Bhagan, Nesha Ramsundar and Rishi Solozano.
Author: RALPH BANWARIE.

Now four years after being instructed how to preserve evidence the Police are STILL not doing it? I wonder WHY!!!

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“I say Matron!” What do you make of this?

21 September 2010

The Muppet Show

Image via Wikipedia

Click the front page for that newspapers full story.

I am not going to comment.

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Does New Technology = Fewer Jobs?

19 September 2010

NYPD officers from the Emergency services unit...

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I have just read the report below and the end few lines got me thinking?

If you implement new technology solutions does it mean fewer jobs?

This report says it does but I would also be interested to hear your thoughts?

I am a firm believer that new technology can be used to capture criminals and stop atrocities taking place so it must be adopted by the Police and Intelligence services as soon as practicable. But we also need the people to run that technology and also the people to carry out both the routine administration and the physical capture work of the police.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments, good and bad will be published.

The NYPD is armed with a portable gizmo that allows cops to immediately confirm identities at crime scenes with the roll of a thumb.

Police hope the technology – used primarily by the crime scene unit and warrant division – will help speed up investigations by quickly generating names.

They first tested the mobile fingerprint devices about three years ago, using just a few of the gadgets.

In recent weeks, the Police Department added about two dozen more. And they may not be done shopping.

“We’re going to assess the technology and see whether or not we’re going to add more,” said Deputy Inspector Kim Royster, an NYPD spokesman.

Cops using the handheld devices have to ask a person’s permission before taking their prints.

The prints are then run through an electronic statewide database. If there’s a match, police can quickly determine a person’s identity and check for outstanding warrants.

Law enforcement experts say the devices help cut through nonsense on the street when suspects try to stall cops by using a seemingly endless string of aliases.

But not everyone is convinced.

If the NYPD’s use of the devices becomes more widespread, the city may run into a challenge by civil libertarians.

“We hope these machines will promote crime-scene identification and reduce mistaken-identity arrests,” said Chris Dunn, the NYCLU‘s associate legal director.

“But I worry they will make it far too easy for the police to take and keep fingerprints and photos of law-abiding people.”

Police officials rejected those concerns.

“If there’s no hit, the fingerprint is erased,” Royster said. “It is not kept on file.”

The NYPD has about 20 of the MorphoTrak readers, at a cost of about $5,000 each.

They not only identify people; they also allow cops to take pictures of potential suspects they can use to show to crime victims.

And they can be used to identify the dead at homicide and accident scenes.

Under Commissioner Ray Kelly, the Police Department has become increasingly dependent on technology, a move that has helped it offset a decrease in the size of the force.

There are about 6,000 fewer officers than there were in 2001.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/18/2010-09-18_hitech_cops_finger_suspects.html#ixzz0zzf71hlP

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I just love this little Laptop!

18 September 2010 1 Comment

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He has the answers in his hands…

16 September 2010

Fingerprint detail on male finger.

Image via Wikipedia

Many people do not realise what evidence you can get from friction ridge details on hands and as such I decided to compile a short guide to chemical processes.

I will not tell you how to carry out those processes here because a lot can be dangerous and to produce the evidence in court you would need to be certified and suitably qualified.

The first thing you do need is a working knowledge of fingerprints and the minute that make up the ridges.

As you can see there are many areas of the fingerprint that are important and everyone has different ones.

No two fingers are ever the same meaning the results of a fingerprint match are conclusive.

But it’s not only the fingerprints that contain ridges, other areas of the body carry them as well.  The palms for instance and very valuable in the hunt for criminals, that’s why  it is very important for the Police to maintain an active database of not only fingerprints, but palm prints as well.

Many countries are now taking palm prints every time they take fingerprints due to the ability of their comparison experts to identify a very very small area of ridge detail.

As you can guess, none of this is like the TV shows, CSI: MIAMI or CSI: New York. they are dramatic and nothing like real life. Although they do use a number of the products real life investigators use but the timings are completely shot to bits.

As is the fact that a Crime Scene Technician is able to be first on the scene, gun totting, and blues and twos everywhere. If only!!!

Once you have found a piece of evidence you will need to decide what processes you are going to carry out on it.

Now there are destructive and non destructive processes and you must always carry out the non destructive processes first. These can be completed using powders, chemicals or other processes involving equipment such as the ESDA from Foster & Freemen Ltd in the UK.

Once you have decided what processes you are going to use, ensure you have photographed your evidence. I recently worked in an organisation where the boss said NOT to photograph all the items before processing. Unfortunately if you are working on evidence that has specific markings like a letter or receipt, that can be obliterated during the processing.

YOU MUST ensure the evidence is photographed prior to processing. This can also be used to indicate to the court what state the evidence was in when it reached the lab.

Of curse should the unimaginable happen and that piece of evidence was ever lost, you also have a record of what it was. Not best evidence no, but its a record.

Following your photography and subsequent searches with light sources and chemicals the evidence can be packaged and sent back to the investigating officer ready for his court dates.

It should not be disposed of even if it’s a vehicle or large item. If the item will spoil (like and apple for instance) then it should always be disposed off after photography.

After you have used your chemicals to recover your marks you then need to capture them and enter them onto the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) which is housed in most Criminal Record Offices.

From there it can be searched against either a specific person who is held on file, a person who has supplied prints for that enquiry or against the database for a speculative search.

Should any of these be positive the check must be verified by a number of people before it is published and the person arrested.

Most of the time that is all there is to it but occasionally the experts don’t agree and outside verification must be sort.

If you need outside verification one company you can use is this one Complete Policing, Defence and Medical Solutions Ltd who are based in Trinidad & Tobago.

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Murder x 6 – Police did very well, Suspects not so…

14 September 2010

Bermuda Regiment and Barbados Police conduct a...

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This report below is in relation to the murder of six women in Barbados a short while ago.

The Police have done a great job and caught the two men who now have their pictures plastered all over the internet and media.

In the report the Commissioner of Police states that the releasing of one of the suspects faces into the public domain was prejudicial to the investigation, well, it could also have helped a lot too.

If they destroyed evidence because of this they were stupid men because if it was me I would have destroyed any evidence sooner, but as the CoP states there are systems in place in Barbados (does not state if that is CCTV?) and they retrieved a substantial amount of evidence from the crime scene. We hope they did recover it, and properly too…

But well done to ALL the officers in getting a quick result.

HOME-GROWN.

That’s how Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin yesterday described the two young St Michael men, who have been charged with the murder of six young women who died in the Campus Trendz fire at Tudor Street, The City, two Friday nights ago.

At a Press conference carried live by television and radio, Dottin also said there was strong evidence against Jamar Dewayne Orlando Bynoe, 19, of Headley’s Land, Bank Hall and Renaldo Anderson Alleyne, 21, of Prescod Bottom, Hindsbury Road.

The men, who are expected to appear in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court today, are also charged with wounding Campus Trendz employees with intent, and with arson of the popular clothing store.

They are also charged with aggravated burglary and arson of the Chicken Galore outlet at Bank Hall, St Michael, on August 13.

Dottin noted that he had to be fairly conservative about what he said about the two men so as not to prejudice their trials.

Reflecting on the tragedy and eventual arrests, Dottin said the past week had been filled with anxiety.

He said that to this end, unknown to the public, certain systems were put in place in and around Bridgetown.

The top cop also said the posting of a picture in the public domain had led to the perpetrators knowing that the police were on their trail.

“It actually forewarned the perpetrators that we were after them, and so this led to the destruction of some evidence.

“That is not fatal to our case . . . there is other available evidence that is adequate to prove our case,” he added.

The police chief noted that contrary to earlier media reports, the crime scene at Tudor Street, The City, where the six women lost their lives, was not contaminated but provided “very vital evidence”.

Dottin also dispelled rumours that investigators had received help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to solve the crime.

Proud of his team

Saying he felt very proud about the investigative team, which was drawn from various sections of the force, the chief also had high praise for the response received from the public and assistance of experts from the private sector.

“I want to thank Barbadians for their overwhelming support  . . . and I commend a couple of Barbadian citizens who provided technical services to our investigators which proved quite crucial,” he said.

Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered at the Tudor Street, The City scene, where the two accused men were taken by police investigators shortly after midday.

Some hurled expletives at them and one man, who did not want to disclose his name, told lawmen to release the two into his custody.

“Just leave them here with we and we would do the rest,” he commented, as he lamented that one of the victims who died in the tragedy was his “personal friend”.

Barbadians islandwide have been paying their respects to the young women who lost their lives in the September 3 tragedy.

The victims are Kellishaw Olliviere, 24, of Wellington Street, The City; Shanna Griffith, 18, of Pile Bay, Spring Garden, St Michael; Pearl Amanda Cornelius, 18, of London Bourne Towers, The City; Kelly-Ann Welch, 24, of Montrose, Christ Church; Tiffany Harding, 23, of Upper Collymore Rock, St Michael; and Nikkita Belgrave, 23, of Shop Hill, St Thomas.

May they all rest in peace.

Original post http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/dottin-no-outside-help-in-nabbing-suspects1/

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Following allegations of gross misconduct: 35 officers sent on immediate ‘leave’

14 September 2010

Trinidad and Tobago Police Service: Crime plan

Image by TaranRampersad via Flickr

I have heard this news on the radio and now recovered it from the newspapers too but it is a sad day for Trinidad…

If the allegations are true it will reinforce what many people say about the police here, these people would say it anywhere in the world though.

There are a lot of brilliant, hard-working police officers within TTPS but they sometimes don’t have the equipment, training and support to carry out their duties as they should / could.

Unfortunately the investigation into the officers is being carried out by people who should not be doing it.

The acting CoP has appointed two officers from different departments to investigate, but isn’t it time TTPS had its own internal affairs department?

RBTT the bank has its own, BP and BG both huge organisations have their own internal investigations departments, but the Police hasn’t? Something strange there.

Anyway, here is the story and I look forward to your comments.

35 officers sent on immediate ‘leave’…

THIRTY-FIVE officers assigned to the Repeat Offenders Programme Task Force (ROPTF) were yesterday sent on administrative leave with immediate effect by acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.

The Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU), headed by Acting Snr Supt John Martinez, was then given full control of the ROPTF. Martinez and Acting ASP Sahadeo Singh, of the Besson Street CID, were then mandated by Williams to conduct a full-scale investigation into allegations of gross misconduct against ROPTF officers.

Speaking with the Express yesterday after the promotion of 79 officers, Williams confirmed a probe had been launched into the allegations, highlighted in an exclusive Sunday Express article over the weekend.

“Any allegations of corruption or serious allegations against police officers are something which we address as a matter of priority,” Williams said.

“The police executive would have addressed the issue surrounding the Repeat Offenders Programme Task Force, and we have in fact launched an investigation, which will in fact be headed by Snr Supt Martinez, with a clear mandate to complete a total audit, assessment and complete investigation in relation to all matters relating to allegations that have been highlighted against the Repeat Offenders Programme Task Force.”

Asked about investigations that were initiated in the past by retired acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert and retired acting deputy Commissioner of Police Gilbert Reyes, regarding allegations of misconduct at the ROPTF, Williams said he had no information on such matters.

Martinez, the man who led a contingent of CIU officers to the St Joseph Police Station last year, where a stash of guns and ammunition and drugs were found hidden in the station’s ceiling, was given a mandate of 30 days to complete the probe and submit it to Williams.

When the Express visited the Besson Street Police Station yesterday, ROPTF officers were seen packing bags with their personal belongings into their personal vehicles.

The latest action came on the heels of allegations against ROPTF officers, a crime-fighting unit in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, made in an investigative piece published in the Sunday Express.

The Express understands that some of the ROPTF officers yesterday refused to hand over sensitive information to CIU officers during the handing-over process upstairs the Besson Street station. The automatic doors to gain access to the building are expected to be changed later today, as a hand-picked team from the CIU starts their probe, the Express was told.

Guns, ammunition, vehicles and other assets used by the unit were seized by CIU officers, but the ROPTF officers were allowed to keep their personally-issued service pistols.

“From captain to cook (from the ROPTF) were sent packing yesterday, and it looks like Mr Williams really serious about regaining public confidence in the police service, and these types of measures are sometimes necessary,” a senior officer told the Express.

Williams described allegations raised against the unit as serious and on Sunday, instructed that the officers meet with him at his office yesterday. During the meeting, a police source said, Williams informed the officers that he was sending them on administrative leave for one month, pending the outcome of the probe into allegations of corruption at the unit.

The Express started a two-month investigation after allegations of gross misconduct against ROPTF officers were made by Laventille residents following the kidnapping of Keon “Guts” Glasgow in April this year. Glasgow, a Laventille resident, was allegedly taken into custody by ROPTF officers, and to date has not been seen or heard.

Residents had staged a fiery protest, demanding that officers, whom they claimed were attached to the ROPTF, say where Glasgow was taken. Some of the allegations suggested that officers assigned to ROPTF were in collusion with and, in some cases, controlled by Port of Spain gangs. It is also alleged that officers from the unit have been fingered in multiple homicides along the East West corridor, and have tipped off known gang leaders about exercises about to be conducted.

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Does this man ever shut up with his lies?

14 September 2010

Statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled in Bagh...

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In his memoirs, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair justified the 2003 invasion of Iraq by saying that he “may have been right” about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. His argument was that even if Saddam Hussein did not have WMD at the time of the invasion, he intended to rebuild them. Paul Reynolds, world affairs correspondent for the BBC News website, examines this claim (with some help from me).

One of the charges against Tony Blair over the invasion of Iraq is that he exaggerated the evidence for WMD.

Is he now exaggerating the threat that Saddam Hussein would have posed if left in power? Or is there enough evidence to support him? (or enough evidence to convict him?)

The line of inquiry leads to Saddam himself but starts in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion.

The Iraq Survey Group, whose job was to find WMD, made an interim report in October 2003 saying it had found none. Its leader David Kay resigned in early 2004 and said of WMD: “I don’t think they existed.”

Intriguingly, however, in a comment picked up by Tony Blair, Mr Kay told a Senate committee: “I actually think what we learned during the inspection made Iraq a more dangerous place, potentially, than, in fact, we thought it was even before the war.”

“Start Quote

“I have often reflected as to whether I was wrong. I ask you to reflect as to whether I may have been right… But the true facts do provide the clearest possible basis to assess that he [Saddam] was indeed a threat ”

Tony Blair- A Journey

Yes he was a threat, a threat to the region but even that wasn’t immediate.

He (Saddam) may not be a nice man, but was it really worth it?

Continue reading the main story

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