Moore says he had film of prisoner abuse in Iraq

Michael Moore says he had footage of prisoner abuse in Iraq but decided to stay quiet until his new movie came out.

"I had it months before the story broke on '60 Minutes (II),' and I really struggled with what to do with it," Moore told the San Francisco Chronicle in Sunday's editions.

"I wanted to come out with it sooner, but I thought I'd be accused of just putting this out for publicity for my movie. That prevented me from making maybe the right decision," the filmmaker said.

Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film, set to open in theaters nationwide on June 25, is critical of President Bush's response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"The stuff with the detainees in my movie is even more shocking than what we saw in that (Abu Ghraib) prison because it happens outdoors and is more commonplace," said Moore.