UNITED NATIONS, March 16 (UPI) -- Former U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix fired another salvo at the U.S. administration for having "a set mind" about going to war in Iraq.
Speaking to a crowd of 1,200 at New York University as part of his 10-day book tour Monday night, Blix likened the pre-war search for weapons to an old-fashioned witch hunt.
"They wanted to come to the conclusion that there were weapons," he said. "Like the former days of the witch hunt, they are convinced that they exist, and if you see a black cat, well, that's evidence of the witch."
Speaking on NBC's "Today" show, Blix charged the Bush administration with invading Iraq as retaliation for the terrorism strikes on the United States even though there was no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the attackers.
"I think they had a set mind," Blix said.
His book, "Disarming Iraq," is being released in time for the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-led coalition's attack on the country that began March 19.
