U.S.: Test Points to N. Korea Nuke Blast

WASHINGTON - One of many tests conducted since North Korea's claimed nuclear test found a radioactive gas consistent with an atomic explosion, but the U.S. government has made no definitive conclusions about the blast, a senior Bush administration official said Friday.

"The betting is that this was an attempt at a nuclear test that failed," the official said. "We don't think they were trying to fake a nuclear test, but it may have been a nuclear fizzle." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

The test found a type of radioactive gas that would be present after a nuclear detonation, the official said. It is one of a …