The Man with Iraq’s Bomb in his Garden

Called “Saddam Hussein’s Nuclear Mastermind,” Mahdi Obeidi oversaw Iraq’s secret uranium enrichment program before the first Gulf War. When UN inspectors entered Iraq in 1991, Obeidi buried the evidence of Iraq’s nuclear weapon ambitions in his backyard and kept it secret until 2003.

Days after the U.S. invasion of Baghdad, an anxious Obeidi approached U.S. journalists in a suit and tie, claiming to have information about Iraq’s nuclear program—ultimately paving the way for Obeidi and his family to defect to the United States.

More Resources

The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam’s Nuclear Mastermind — Turner Publishing

“In the Garden of Armageddon”