Congressman's home searched in hunt for missing intern

As Washington slept, police seeking the missing intern Chandra Levy yesterday made an early-hours search of the apartment of Congressman Gary Condit.

Police spent more than three hours at the Adams Morgan district apartment of the man the 24-year-old was having an affair with when she disappeared 10 weeks ago. Police said it was a "routine search". They are still negotiating with Mr Condit for him to take a lie detector test and give a DNA sample.

In another development Anne Marie Smith, who claims she was also having an affair with Mr Condit, spoke to prosecutors from the US Attorney's office. Ms Smith claimed Mr Condit, 53, asked her to sign an affidavit, denying that they had an affair. It has been reported the US Attorney's office is investigating whether Mr Condit tried to suppress evidence.

Detectives who took up Mr Condit's offer to search his flat did so using luminol, a chemical that under ultra-violet light shows up blood stains, even on a surface that has been cleaned. DC Assistant Police Chief Terrance Gainer said: "What you're looking for could involve blood, hair, telltale signs of a struggle. Why else do you think we'd search?" Though officers took away two bags of items from the apartment, they said they could not yet know whether they had uncovered anything useful.

As they examine the items, officers will also continue to negotiate with Mr Condit about taking a lie detector test. Mr Ramsey said: ''We think it's in everyone's best interest that that take place to put this to rest so that we can once again focus on finding Chandra Levy. We've never just focused on one person. It's very unfortunate with all this attention that seems to have come down on one person."

Ms Levy was last seen on 30 April. She e-mailed her parents the following day, saying she was planning to return home to California soon, but when they had not heard from her five days later they contacted the police. Police say they are still treating the matter as a missing persons case and that there are no suspects.

But there has been increasing focus on Mr Condit. After Ms Levy went missing, he said initially they were just "good friends" but during his third interview with police he made clear they were having an affair.

Ms Smith, an airline hostess, claims she was also having an affair with Mr Condit, something the congressman has not denied. Earlier this week Ms Smith's lawyer said that before Ms Levy's disappearance, the airline hostess became con-vinced Mr Condit was engaging in "kinky sex".

Jim Robinson, the lawyer, said: "There were neckties tied together underneath [Condit's] bed as if someone had been tied up in bed. Things started to disturb Anne Marie. She saw other things of a sexual nature that she would have nothing to do with, and then this woman [Levy] disappears."