Secret jails: ‘UK didn’t’ allow CIA to use airports

Britain did not allow CIA planes to use its airports to secretly transfer terrorism suspects to third countries or US-run jails, chief...

Britain did not allow CIA planes to use its airports to secretly transfer terrorism suspects to third countries or US-run jails, chief police officers have said at the end of an 18-month probe.

The findings fly in the face of a Council of Europe report published on Friday which claims the US and its NATO allies secretly agreed to allow the CIA to hold terror suspects in Europe.

A probe was launched 18 months ago by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) after human rights group Liberty claimed that flights chartered by the US government through the CIA landed in British airports.

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Liberty was concerned that the flights were on their way to jails where suspects risked torture. It was also claimed the CIA “extraordinary rendition” flights have flown into Britain more than 210 times since 2001.

“Michael Todd has reviewed all the information available relating to the issue and has concluded there is indeed no evidence to substantiate Liberty’s allegations,” an ACPO statement said. Todd is chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, and led the ACPO probe.

“There was no evidence that UK airports were used to transport people by the CIA for torture in other countries,” it said. “There was nothing to substantiate the claims in the evidence supplied by Liberty.”

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