WASHINGTON, Dec 27 AFP - A US jet registered to a ghost company
whisks terror suspects to countries that use torture, The
Washington Post reported today, based on its own investigation.
The Gulfstream V turbojet has been seen at US military bases
around the world, often loading up hooded and shackled suspects and
delivering them to countries known to use torture, a process the
CIA calls "rendition", the Washington daily said.
The Post investigated the ownership of the jet, which has been
spotted in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya,
Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and which carries
the tail number N379P, according to the newspaper.
The officers of the plane's corporate owner, Premier Executive
Transport Services, are all listed with dates of birth in the
1940s, 1950s and 1960s, but with social security numbers issued
since 1998, found the Post, which was unable to locate any further
business or credit information on them or on the company.
The CIA refused comment, but such "proprietary" or front
corporations are standard procedure for the agency, former
operatives told the Post.
The "rendering" of suspects to countries that employ
interrogation techniques banned in the United States is worrisome
and could violate the UN Convention on Torture, World Organisation
for Human Rights USA executive director Morton Sklar told the
daily.
The Post article confirmed much of a November 14 article
published in the Sunday Times, of London, which obtained flight
plans for the plane, which, the Times said, always departs from
Washington, DC and has visited the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, where about 550 terror suspects are held.
A Swedish television program, Cold Facts, reported that in
December 2001, the jet took hooded terror suspects to Egypt,
according to the Post, which confirmed the Swedish report
independently.
The Post said the plane, with hooded crew members speaking with
US accents, loaded two Egyptian nationals and took off at 4.30am
for Cairo.
It said airport officials and amateur plane spotters, some using
binoculars, have logged multiple sightings of N379P at several US
military airports and fueling stations.
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