More on “extraordinary rendition” from the BBC:
Michael Scheuer, who once headed the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and left the CIA last November after a 22-year career, said the practice, known as “extraordinary rendition”, was seen by the US as a key tactic in its war on terror.“The bottom line is getting anyone off the streets who is involved in acts of terrorism is a worthwhile activity,” he told the BBC’s File On 4 programme.
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Mr Scheuer said the operation was authorised at the highest levels of the CIA and the White House and was approved by their lawyers….“The idea that this is a rogue operation that someone has dreamt up is just absurd. I personally have no problem with doing any operation as long as it’s justified legal by my superiors.”
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The former CIA officer acknowledged that some of the suspects sent to places such as Egypt could then be tortured.But he said: “It wouldn’t be us torturing them and I think there is a lot of Hollywood involved with our portrayal of torture in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
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The programme also reveals that an official investigation is under way in Italy into suspicions that an Islamic militant was kidnapped off the streets of Milan and flown to Egypt by American agents.
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It is known that the American civilian executive jets used to transport the prisoners around the world often pass through British airspace and use British airports. The File On 4 team discovered one was in Glasgow on Monday.A Foreign Office spokesperson told the programme it totally condemned torture but could not rule out using any reliable intelligence wherever it came from if it was going to save lives.
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