CIA transited three terror suspects through Germany: report
BERLIN (AFP) — An independent report has cleared Berlin of knowing that the CIA transited three Egyptian terror suspects through Germany between 2001 and 2003, a newspaper report said Tuesday.
The report by Joachim Jacob, rapporteur for a BND (German intelligence agency) commission of enquiry into German collusion into the US's extraordinary renditions programme, said that two flights passed through Germany, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung said.
As was already known, Egyptian-born Abu Omar was transited through US air force base Ramstein near Frankfurt in February 2003 on the way to Egypt after being detained by the CIA in Milan.
Another flight, previously unreported, passed through German airspace in December 2001 carrying two Egyptians that the CIA had picked up in Stockholm, said Jacob's confidential report, which the BND commission is currently examining.
The German government has maintained that it only knew about any CIA flights from the end of 2004 or the start of 2005, and that it found out through media reports.
After Jacob interviewed 48 officials, examined 56 written statements and talked with 40 members of rights groups or lawyers for alleged victims, he found no reason to doubt Berlin's position, the Sueddeutsche said.
But Jabob, who was hired by the BND as an independent investigator, points out in his report that no final conclusions can be made until the United States made more information available.
Jacob's findings differ from those of Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty who said last year that Germany and 13 other European countries colluded in or tolerated the secret transfer of CIA terror suspects.
