What is the verification status of this claim?

This claim is currently marked as "CONFIRMED". The verification is based on 2 primary sources and 2 total sources reviewed by the They Knew community.

Who originally made this claim?

This claim was made by Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi (Curveball), Iraqi Defector / Fabricator, on or around 2003-02-05.

How many sources support this claim?

There are 2 total sources associated with this claim, of which 2 are primary sources (court documents, FOIA releases, official records).

The entire case for Iraq's WMDs was built on a single fabricator codenamed 'Curveball' whom intelligence agencies knew was lying — documented evidence

🟢 CONFIRMED

Colin Powell's February 2003 UN presentation — featuring mobile bioweapons labs and anthrax vials — was based primarily on intelligence from Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, an Iraqi defector codenamed Curveball. The CIA, German BND, and British MI6 all flagged him as unreliable, but the warnings were suppressed. In 2011, Curveball admitted to The Guardian: 'I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime.' The Iraq War killed over 200,000 civilians and cost $2 trillion. No WMDs were ever found.

The entire case for Iraq's WMDs was built on a single fabricator codenamed 'Curveball' whom intelligence agencies knew was lying

MIL·February 5, 2003·By Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi (Curveball)·4.8K upvotes·203 comments

What They Said Was Crazy

“I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that.”

— Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi (Curveball)February 5, 2003Source

📄 The Receipts

★

PRIMARYCurveball Admits He Lied About Iraq's WMD (NPR)

www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/02/15/1337741...

ARTICLEOpen

★

PRIMARYThe Record on Curveball (National Security Archive)

nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB234/index.htm

DOCUMENTOpen

⚖️ The Record, Side by Side

What they said vs. what the evidence shows

What They Said

“Every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”

— Secretary of State Colin Powell · Feb 2003

What Actually Happened

PrimaryARTICLE

Curveball Admits He Lied About Iraq's WMD (NPR)

View

PrimaryDOCUMENT

The Record on Curveball (National Security Archive)

View

🙈 They Laughed At Us

“Every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”

— Secretary of State Colin Powell, 2003