Saddam seeks supergun

By KIM SENGUPTA in LONDON

Saddam Hussein has been acquiring the technology to build a new long-range "supergun" capable of firing nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, say German prosecutors.

The claim follows the charging of two Germans who allegedly bought cannon drilling equipment and shipped it to Iraq via Jordan in 1998.

The 10m supergun, which has a 209mm bore, is nowhere near as powerful as the largest of the so-called superguns designed by Canadian Gerald Bull, says the Daily Telegraph. They had 50m barrels with a 350mm bore.

Two were destroyed by UN weapons inspectors in Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War.

But the 10m al-Fao gun, also designed by Bull, still has a range of more than 56km.

Bull was shot dead by Israeli agents in Brussels in 1990.

An investigation into Mannheim firm Alriwo began last year. Hubert Jobski, of the prosecutors' office, said other arrests were expected, and the two men under arrest could face sentences of up to 15 years each if convicted.

"Others will be accused in the case, and we hope to wrap it up very soon."

The prosecution claims that one of the accused, Alriwo employee Bernd Schompeter, bought equipment worth about £220,000 ($720,000) from a company called Burgsmueller in north Germany.

- INDEPENDENT


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