Saddam Hussein's alleged shredder

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In the leadup to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, there were a large number of reports of an infamous plastic shredder into which Saddam and Qusay Hussein fed opponents of their Baathist rule.

The first mention of the woodchipper came at a March 12 2003 meeting, when James Mahon addressed the House of Commons after returning from research in northern Iraq.

Ann Clwyd wrote in The Times six days later, an article entitled "See men shredded, then say you don't back war," saying that an unnamed Iraqi had said the Husseins (sic) used a woodchipper to gruesomely kill male opponents, and used their shredded bodies as fish food. Later she would add that it was believed to be housed in Abu Ghraib prison. Two days later Australian Prime Minister John Howard made reference to the "human-shredding machine".

Melanie Phillips wrote in The Daily Mail, saying that the machine resulted in "bodies...chewed up from foot to head". In William Shawcross's 2003 book Allies: The United States, Britain, Europe and the War in Iraq, he claimed that Saddam Hussein "fed people into huge shredders, feet first to prolong the agony".

In 2003, Ken Joseph claimed to have been one of the anti-war Human Shields that had traveled to Iraq, but said that he returned disgusted by tales of slow torture like the plastic shredder, and became an advocate of the war instead. However, it was quickly asserted by the groups that organised the shield action that they had never heard of him, and that it was possible he had never even been to the country.

The Sun's political editor Trevor Kavanagh wrote in February 2004 that "Public opinion swung behind Tony Blair as voters learned how Saddam fed dissidents feet first into industrial shredders"

In 2004, in The Guardian, Brendan O'Neill openly questioned the existence of the woodchipper, asking for Clwyd and Mahon to provide evidence or the names of the Iraqis who gave them the story. He spoke with the doctor who dealt with executed prisoners at Abu Grahib during Saddam Hussein's rule, who said that all executions were performed by hanging, and denied claims that there was a shredder of any type. Clwyd responded to O'Neill’s allegations in a letter published in the Guardian stating that “Brendan O'Neill was told by my office, but chose not to include in his article, the following information. In his statement, the witness who said that people were killed by the shredder was very specific: he named individuals who he said were killed in the shredder and the individuals who he said supervised the execution by shredder; he stated where the shredder was located and the month and year when the executions took place. The witness was closely questioned by Indict researchers and was described by them as being "unshakeable". He said he is also prepared to testify in court about the incident.”[1]. O'Neill never responded to Clwyd’s letter or the offer of more corroboration.