Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

British police say a body found northwest of London matches the description of a missing defense ministry advisor, identified as a possible source for a disputed report on Iraqi weapons.

Authorities say they found the body believed to be that of arms expert David Kelly about seven kilometers from his home. The body has not been formally identified. Police launched a search for the scientist late Thursday, hours after he left his home for a walk.

Tuesday, a parliamentary committee had questioned the scientist about whether he had been the source of a British radio report that government officials had exaggerated intelligence on Iraqi weapons to strengthen the case for war. The scientist, a former United Nations arms inspector in Iraq, acknowledged that he had spoken to British Broadcasting Corporation journalist Andrew Gilligan, who broadcast the report. But he said he did not believe he was the source of the story.

Mr. Gilligan appeared before the committee for two hours Thursday. Members of parliament who grilled him said he had backed off some of his allegations. The journalist denied this, calling the grilling an ambush.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.