News anchor recants Iraq war anecdote

US news anchor Brian Williams admitted on Wednesday that a story he has often repeated on air about coming under fire in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003 was not true.

Williams, who anchors NBC Nightly News, said that he was not in the aircraft that fell prey to an attack, but arrived at the scene later in a different helicopter.

"I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago," Williams said on the broadcast.