The Daily Mirror'sphotographs of alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by British troops were not taken in Iraq, the British government announced today.
Armed Forces Minister Mr Adam Ingram told the Commons a Royal Military Police inquiry had found the truck in which the pictures were taken was never in Iraq.
This had been "independently corroborated," he said. "These pictures were categorically not taken in Iraq."
Those involved in taking the photographs "may have committed criminal offences under military law, which are the proper subject of on-going investigations by the RMP".
The Daily Mirrorhas repeatedly insisted that the photographs were genuine, despite questions about their authenticity after publication around two weeks ago. The newspaper's editor Mr Piers Morgan said in a statement today that the government had "still not produced incontrovertible evidence that the pictures are faked".
One of the photographs appeared to show a soldier from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment urinating on a prisoner. Another allegedly showed the captive being struck in the groin with a rifle butt.
The investigation had been carried out by the RMP's special investigations branch, Mr Ingram said. "Ministers cannot, do not and should not interfere and the investigation continues into the very serious allegations made."
Mr Ingram said that because criminal offences may have been committed he was unable to say more about the emerging evidence.
He told the Commons he was disturbed that there were those who were prepared to "casually vilify our armed forces without first establishing the facts". He also insisted the answer he gave in a Commons debate on May 4th about not receiving a Red Cross report on mistreatment of Iraqi detainees was a "correct and honest answer".
Mr Ingram told MPs the central charge that he received reports and did nothing about the allegations "simply does not stack up".