U.S. Considers Raid on Libyan Arms Plant, Reagan Says

President Reagan, concerned about reports that Libya is building a plant to produce chemical weapons, told a television interviewer Wednesday that the United States is considering bombing the facility.

It was not clear how imminent any U.S. action would be or how actively officials are considering such an option, however.

During the interview with ABC-TV, Reagan was asked: “Are we going to bomb (Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s) poison gas factory, and if not, why not?”

“That’s a decision that has not been made yet,” Reagan said. “We’re communicating with our allies and with NATO forces . . . and we’re watching very closely that situation.”

Before deciding to take any action, Reagan said, the United States wants “to pin down completely so there is no question but that’s what it is . . . a plant that he is building, and one of tremendous size.”

ABC will broadcast the entire interview tonight, but it broadcast excerpts Wednesday night.

U.S. officials have expressed concern that Kadafi has the technology to produce deadly chemical weapons and intends to share the knowledge with terrorists.

Kadafi reportedly already has provided the Irish Republican Army with surface-to-air missiles and plastic explosives.

Late Wednesday, a senior White House official said that “all options have to be considered” when dealing with Kadafi and that “we are talking to our allies” about the decision, which is to be made in the context of plans for an international conference on banning chemical weapons next month.