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US defence experts believe Saddam Hussein may be building a weapons supercomputer from Sony PlayStation 2s.
Individual units of the powerful games console can be linked up and boosted so their computing powers can be used to design and control long-range missiles or even nuclear devices.
A leaked US Defence Intelligence Agency report confirms that up to 4,000 of the consoles have been shipped to Iraq in the last three months.
Both US Customs and the FBI are investigating.
The news confirms the worst fears of the Japanese government, which first warned of the potential danger of the high-specification PlayStation 2 eight months ago.
Experts say that the PlayStation 2 designers may have unwittingly built a machine ideal for weapons work because its technology is so advanced.
Exports of the console to Iraq are illegal in Japan.
One source tells WorldNet Daily: "Applications for this system are potentially frightening. One expert I spoke with estimated that an integrated bundle of 12 to 15 PlayStations could provide enough power to control an Iraqi unmanned aerial vehicle."
It is believed Saddam Hussein may have exacerbated the Sony PlayStation 2 shortage.
(nice catch by jsg)