Blair offers his justification for Iraq war

LONDON — An unrepentant Tony Blair defended his decision to join the United States in attacking Iraq, arguing Friday before a British panel investigating the war that the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks made the threat of weapons of mass destruction impossible to ignore.

The former British prime minister said before the 9/11 attacks he thought "Saddam was a menace, that he was a threat, he was a monster, but we would have to try and make the best of it."

But then the 9/11 attacks changed everything, he said.

"After that time, my view was you could not take risks with this issue at all," Blair said.

The 9/11 terror attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing two into New York City's World Trade Towers and bringing them down, and one plane into the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and flight crew fought the hijackers.

The panel in London is Britain's third and widest-ranging investigation into the Iraq conflict, which triggered huge protests and left 179 British troops dead. The British military withdrew from Iraq last year.

The probe is not intended to apportion blame or hold anyone liable for the war. But it could embarrass American and British officials who argued — wrongly — the war was justified because Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction and building ties with al-Qaida.

Blair appeared somber and tense as he began his scheduled six hours of testimony. He grew feistier as the day went on, gesturing, smiling and, at times, correcting what he saw as flawed questions from panel members.

The audience in the hearing room included family members of soldiers and civilians killed or missing in Iraq — all of whom sat quietly as Blair testified.

Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004, said she felt revulsion at Blair's presence.

"Actually, I felt sick," she said. "He seemed to be shaking as well, which I am pleased about — the eyes of all the families were on him."

Emotions also ran high outside, where demonstrators chanted and read the names of civilians and military personnel killed. Some 150 protesters shouted "Jail Tony!" and "Blair lied — thousands died," as police officers looked on.