10:45pm UK, Tuesday January 13, 2004

Police officers failed to spot what could have been a "dirty bomb" planted in the heart of Washington, a report by US government investigators has revealed.

Defence workers positioned a "suspicious package" at the base of the famous Washington Monument, near the White House, on the second anniversary of September 11.

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But police were busy chatting rather than patrolling the area and one officer positioned in an unmarked car appeared to be asleep, according to the Washington Post and CNN.

The newspaper and broadcaster obtained the report, which has not yet been published by the Department of the Interior (MoI).

The fear that al Qaeda could detonate a radioactive dirty bomb is so great that weapons specialists were sent out to major cities with radiation detectors hidden in briefcases and golf bags during the New Year celebrations.

According to the Inspector General's Office report a black bag was placed at the rear of the Washington Monument by investigators who expected police to quickly treat it as a suspect package. But after 20 minutes it was still there.

"There was not a single security or law enforcement official who, in that time, came around to the rear of the monument," the report said.

So the investigators decided to move the bag closer to officers, placing it next to a security point where tourists line up to view the monument. But again the bag sat unnoticed, this time for about 15 minutes.

"Throughout this time, there was no visible park police presence," the report said.

"There was, in fact, an unmarked car parked down by the street entrance of the memorial. However, the individual behind the wheel appeared to be sound asleep," it said.

A spokesman for the National Park Service said in a statement that tighter security measures were put into effect in October 2003.

"More effective security measures and a strict monitoring system by USPP now provide greater security than previously," he said.

Democratic Congressman Jim Turner told the Washington Post: "Without a doubt, if there had been a terrorist attack on the Washington Monument on September 11, 2003, hundreds of tourists could have been killed."