CIA 'didn't use UK airports'
10.06.07
An inquiry by British police officers has announced that it found no evidence that Britain allowed the CIA to use the country's airports to take terror suspects to other countries. The human rights group Liberty, which had requested the inquiry, rejected its findings after they were released Friday.
The 18-month police inquiry examined claims by Liberty that such 'extraordinary rendition' flights chartered by the US government through the CIA landed in the UK for refuelling before spiriting away terror suspects. It was claimed that CIA planes had flown into Britain more than 210 times since 2001, carrying terror detainees to other countries where they may have faced torture.
The allegations first emerged in September 2005 when the Guardian newspaper said airports at Biggin Hill, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brize Norton, Farnborough, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, RAF Mildenhall, Northolt, Prestiwck and Stansted had allowed CIA or CIA-chartered jets to land temporarily.
Michael Todd, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, agreed to investigate the allegations on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers. The association said in a statement: 'Mr Todd has now examined all of the information available relating to this issue and has concluded that there is indeed no evidence to substantiate Liberty's allegations. There was no evidence that UK airports were used to transport people by the CIA for torture in other countries.'
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, accused the Association of Chief Police Officers of 'spin' and questioned whether there had in fact been any investigation. She said the group had received a letter from the Association of Chief Police Officers this week 'refusing' to investigate.
Meanwhile an investigator for Europe's human rights watchdog body said in a report also released on Friday that the CIA ran secret prisons in Poland and Romania in 2003-2005 to interrogate detainees in the war on terror.
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