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Does Al-Qaeda in Iraq Have Chemical Weapons?

Iraq's Defense Ministry says al-Qaeda was caught producing chemical weapons; some believe the claim was made to distract from authorities’ mismanagement of the security situation.  

Laboratory equipment and chemicals are seen on display during a news conference at the Defence Ministry in Baghdad June 1, 2013. The materials were confiscated from four men who have been arrested, and are accused of planning to make chemical weapons like nerve and mustard gas, according to the ministry.                    REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTX10825
Laboratory equipment and chemicals were put on display for a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Baghdad, June 1, 2013. — REUTERS

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that it arrested an al-Qaeda-linked cell producing a nerve agent, reportedly to be used in operations inside Iraq and later transferred to the capitals of neighboring countries.

The ministry said in a statement issued June 1 that “a special military force raided two sarin and mustard gas plants after they had been under surveillance for around three months,” noting that the first plant was in Baghdad and the second in one of the provinces.

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