FBI agents last week conducted a search in southern Texas along the U.S.-Mexican border for an alleged group of Iraqi agents trying to smuggle chemical weapons into the United States, but found nothing to support the claim, according to Newsweek (see GSN, March 18).

The search was initiated by a tip obtained two weeks ago from a Mexican informant, who said he learned from a contact in a “human smuggling” group that a team of six Iraqi nationals had recently paid more than $5,000 each for assistance in crossing into the United States from Mexico near Laredo, Texas, Newsweek reported.  The Mexican informant also told FBI agents that the Iraqis “may have some chemicals.”

The Mexican informant’s claim was included the following day in the daily “threat matrix” provided to U.S. President George W. Bush, according to Newsweek.  Mexican law enforcement agents and FBI agents found the Mexican smuggler the informant described, who denied the plot and passed an FBI polygraph, Newsweek reported.

While some U.S. officials believe the group of Iraqis never existed at all, the claim still had to be taken seriously because of concerns that such an action could occur, officials said.  Recently captured al-Qaeda operative Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has told authorities that he discussed moving al-Qaeda operatives across the U.S.-Mexican border, Newsweek reported (Hosenball/Isikoff, Newsweek, March 31).

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