Moore says he had prison-abuse footage

updated 3:56 p.m. ET June 17, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - Michael Moore says he had footage of prisoner abuse in Iraq but decided to stay quiet until his new movie came out.

“I had it months before the story broke on ‘60 Minutes (II),’ and I really struggled with what to do with it,” Moore told the San Francisco Chronicle in Sunday’s editions.

“I wanted to come out with it sooner, but I thought I’d be accused of just putting this out for publicity for my movie. That prevented me from making maybe the right decision,” the filmmaker said.

Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film, set to open in theaters nationwide on June 25, is critical of President Bush’s response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“The stuff with the detainees in my movie is even more shocking than what we saw in that (Abu Ghraib) prison because it happens outdoors and is more commonplace,” said Moore.

MORE FROM FAHRENHEIT 9/11

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ out on DVD on Oct. 5

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ out on DVD on Oct. 5 Moore defends disputed headline in ‘9/11’ FEC panel dismisses ‘Fahrenheit’ complaint ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ tops $100 million ‘Fahrenheit’ leads new documentary era The new golden age of documentaries ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ scores with critics ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ has a point to make Michael Moore's film should prove divisive Michael Moore faces heat over methods   Add Fahrenheit 9/11 headlines to your news reader: