U.S. Sees Possible Hoax in Chemical Plant Fire

The United States said today that Libya’s Rabta plant, suspected of producing chemical weapons, may still be operational despite a fire there earlier this month and that an elaborate hoax could not be ruled out.

“The U.S. government is reviewing all the available evidence relating to the March 14 events at Rabta,” said State Department deputy spokesman Richard Boucher.

Asked whether the fire could have been a hoax by Libyan President Moammar Kadafi intended to hoodwink the world into believing the plant was destroyed, Boucher said the possibility could not be ruled out.

“Important uncertainties remain regarding both the cause and extent of damage at Rabta. Therefore no definitive conclusions have been reached. The possibility remains that Libya can still produce chemical warfare agents,” he said.

The new assessment was in stark contrast to that offered by Bush Administration spokesmen two days after the fire.

Then, both the White House and State Department said damage from the mystery fire had been extensive and concluded that “production is now impossible.”

A senior official said the amount of available evidence had grown since then and needed careful analysis. Commercial satellite photographs taken a few days after the fire showed much of the plant intact with little apparent structural damage.

The possibility of a hoax first surfaced last week when a Libyan opposition group alleged the blaze was staged.

The National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which operates in exile, said in a statement that Kadafi ordered the blaze to preempt a possible U.S. strike and justify a crackdown on dissidents.

Kadafi also wanted to hoodwink the West into thinking the factory at Rabta, 50 miles southwest of Tripoli, had been disabled while continuing its output secretly, the Front said.