Saddam's chorus line of charismatic killers

Honeytrap hitsquads of seductive female agents are swarming out of Iraq, sent abroad by Saddam Hussein to kill his opponents.

Honeytrap hitsquads of seductive female agents are swarming out of Iraq, sent abroad by Saddam Hussein to kill his opponents.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that the specially-trained assassins, who are chosen for their looks and loyalty to the regime, are sent from Iraq to home in on their targets - a type of agent traditionally known as a honeytrap.

According to reports, many of the women have been sent on missions to Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, and were originally belly dancers and actresses.

A Foreign Office spokesman said there had been incidents of this sort in the past but there was no known similar activity at the moment.

However the FO is remaining vigilant to any possibility of any activity in Britain as there had been incidents in the past both here and in other western countries.

According to the reports the women, complete with false identities, are moved to support centres across Europe before being posted to meet their final targets.

In recent years London has become a focus for anti-Saddam protests, making it a likely area for these agents to work.