Concerned residents gave a United States official a grilling over the possible war in Iraq at a packed public meeting last night.

More than 200 people crowded into Lewes Town Hall to hear four speakers talk on the potential military action.

Michael Murphy, a representative of the US Embassy, found himself outnumbered as he explained how strikes could be justified.

Addressing the meeting entitled Why Attack Iraq?, Mr Murphy said: "The cost of underestimating the threat is unthinkable."

People listened intently as he spoke for 15 minutes but, when the meeting was later opened to the floor, he found most of the questions directed at him.

One member of the audience said: "We live in a beautiful planet with beautiful people and you have no right to slaughter humankind."

The second delegate was Iraqi national Amer Albazaz, who told the forum of a recent phone call to people in his homeland.

He said: "They said they believed the attack was going to take place at any time. They said they feel they have been sentenced to death and do not know when they are going to be executed."

The other speakers were Open University Middle East expert Brian Beeley and Lewes film-maker Miriam Ryle, who has visited Iraq three times since 1991.

Mr Beeley said: "To most countries in the Middle East, Israel is seen as the biggest threat, not Iraq."

Ms Ryle said the Allies told three lies before the war with Iraq in 1991 - namely that babies were thrown out of incubators by Iraqi soldiers, Saddam's troops were amassing on the Saudi border and Iraq was close to developing a crude nuclear device.