The UK government claimed for the first time on Monday night that the London-based Daily Mirror's Iraq "abuse" photographs were fakes, saying an investigation had revealed doubts about their authenticity.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons of "strong indications" that a truck seen in the pictures was not used in Iraq, and said later on Channel 4 News that they were fakes.
He also cast doubt on the use of testimony by a third soldier who talked to the Mirror at the weekend, saying the offenses he detailed had already been widely reported and investigated.
The Mirror reacted angrily to the comments, saying Hoon was attempting to divert attention from the real story of abuse.
In the House of Commons, Hoon said the Royal Military Police special investigation branch had told him there were strong indications that the vehicle in which the photographs were taken was not in Iraq during the relevant period.
He said the branch had interviewed the soldier described by the Mirror as "soldier C" and investigated the allegation at the center of his evidence concerning the death in custody of Baha Mousa.
Mousa, 26, a hotel receptionist, was allegedly beaten to death in Basra last September.
"These allegations were widely covered in other newspapers many months ago," Hoon said. "I leave it to the House to judge why they have been recycled in this way."
Hoon also questioned why the pictures were in black and white.
Later, on Channel 4 News, anchorman Jon Snow asked him: "So let's hear it, they are fakes?"
He replied: "Well it appears to be the case, yes."
He said it was "important that the Mirror now answer why they have perpetrated this hoax."
Of the disputed truck, he said: "This is the evidence we have -- that this particular truck was not in Iraq."
"It's now really a matter for the Daily Mirror to indicate whether they are willing to co-operate as they said they would in investigating what increasingly looks like a hoax," he said.
The Mirror issued a strong rebuttal, accusing Hoon of attempting to divert attention from the "bigger and more important" issue of soldier abuse.
The paper said that it re-mained "absolutely confident that those pictures accurately illustrate a serious abuse of a detainee by members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment."
"We note that Hoon does not deny the incident happened," it said.
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