British Paper Apologizes for Fake Photos; Editor Resigns

LONDON â€”  The Daily Mirror newspaper apologized Friday for publishing fake photographs of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British forces, and the editor stepped down.

The move by the newspaper and its owner, Trinity Mirror, came hours after commanders of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment bitterly denounced the pictures and said they had proof that the photos -- said to have been taken in Iraq -- were staged in Britain.

Daily Mirror Editor Piers Morgan had staunchly defended the photos, which caused an uproar when they were published May 1. The government said Thursday that it had concluded that the pictures, including one of a soldier allegedly urinating on a hooded prisoner, were faked.

“The Daily Mirror published in good faith photographs which it absolutely believed were genuine images of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner,� the newspaper said.

“However, there is now sufficient evidence to suggest that these pictures are fakes and that the Daily Mirror has been the subject of a calculated and malicious hoax.�

The regiment’s commander said Friday that it had conclusive evidence that a truck seen in the photos had never been in Iraq -- where the Daily Mirror said the photos were taken.

The newspaper said that it would be “inappropriate� for Morgan to continue as editor and that he had stepped down.

Earlier, Brig. Geoff Sheldon, colonel of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, said the pictures had made Iraq more dangerous for British soldiers.

The regiment showed reporters a replica of the rifle depicted in the Daily Mirror pictures and pointed out differences with the weapon its members carried in Iraq last year. It also displayed a truck of the type that appeared in the photos and compared it to those used in Iraq.

In a television interview, one of the Daily Mirror’s sources, a man identified as “Soldier C� and reportedly a member of the Lancashire regiment, said he saw prisoners beaten for fun. The man’s face was not shown. He is the only Daily Mirror source who has spoken to military investigators; he does not claim to be a witness to the photos.

Sheldon said the regiment’s soldiers detained 448 Iraqis during their time in the country and received complaints about only one incident, the death of Baha Mousa, an Iraqi hotel clerk. He said that was “a terrible event that I bitterly and deeply regret� and that it was under investigation.