A Hint of WMD? Close, But Not Quite Yet

A Hint of WMD? Close, But Not Quite Yet

Iraqi Scientist Has Nuclear Materials/Documents in His Backyard

WASHINGTON — An Iraqi scientist has led the CIA (search) to nuclear materials buried in his backyard, Fox News has learned.

Mahdi Obeidi (search) told U.S. agents in Iraq he was ordered in 1991 to hide documents and parts for a centrifuge to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

"A box of parts and a bunch of documents were buried under the rose bushes in his backyard," one U.S. official told Fox News.

Obeidi also said he was told the materials should remain buried in the backyard of his Baghdad home until sanctions against Iraq ended, when they would be dug up and used to reconstitute a program to enrich uranium to make a nuclear weapon.

"This shows how hard a job it will be to find stuff when it's under people's rose bushes," the U.S. official added.

Obeidi told the CIA he was one of four Iraqi nuclear scientists told to hide such plans and parts. He did not know the identities of the other three and the CIA has so far been unable to locate them, a senior U.S. official told Fox News.