Seized Letter Proves British Authorities Aware of CIA Flights

[kpete]

Torture flights landed in UK, admit air controllers
By Marie Woolf, Political Editor
Published: 19 February 2006
CIA jets suspected of flying terrorist suspects to secret prisons for torture have landed at commercial British airports and received help from UK air traffic control, the authorities have admitted for the first time.

National Air Traffic Services (Nats) confirmed that three planes with CIA tail numbers have travelled through Britain "on a number of occasions".

MPs last night seized on the letter as the first formal acknowledgement that British authorities were aware that CIA flights associated with "extraordinary rendition" have travelled through UK airspace.

They said it showed that ministers could no longer claim they had no knowledge of CIA flights that have been linked to the policy of sending terrorist suspects for interrogation in countries that carry out torture.

Nats admitted it had provided a service to the flights after a number of Parliamentary questions to Transport ministers from Sir Menzies Campbell, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The letter, written to Sir Menzies following orders from Transport minister Karen Buck, says that of four aircraft identified from records as having been used by the CIA, "three have received an ATC from Nats on a number of occasions in the past five years. We are not prepared to offer a number because we are not confident that such a number would be robust."

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more at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article346382.ece

[Greeby]

1. Well d'uh

If President Tony would conspire to launch a war based on lies. What makes anyone think he wouldn't look the other way on torture?

That aside, kudos to the Merciless One for persuing this. Maybe he should be leader :think: