UK airports 'were not used for CIA torture flights'

Published on Saturday 9 June 2007 11:59

BRITAIN did not allow CIA "torture flights" to use its airports to take terror suspects out of Europe, police chiefs have said.

An 18-month inquiry examined claims by human rights group Liberty that "extraordinary rendition" flights chartered by the US government through the CIA landed in the UK - including Edinburgh Airport - before spiriting away terror suspects. But Liberty has called for a full police investigation and refused to accept the findings.

Michael Todd, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, agreed to probe the allegations on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

It was claimed CIA flights had flown into the UK more than 210 times since 2001. The aircraft were alleged to have been carrying terror detainees to other countries where they may have faced torture.

The Acpo findings contradict the conclusions of a report published yesterday by human rights watchdog the Council of Europe.

That report claims the US and its Nato allies reached a secret agreement allowing the CIA to hold high value detainees in Europe. A statement released by Acpo said: "There was no evidence that UK airports were used to transport people for torture in other countries.

"There was nothing to substantiate the claims in the evidence supplied by Liberty." But Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, accused Acpo of "spin".