Britain: Government minister admits US “rendition” planes landed in UK

Ingram disclosed that two aircraft, a Boeing 737 and a Gulfstream, landed 14 times at RAF (Royal Air Force) Northolt and RAF Brize Norton between October 2003 and May 2004.

The flights were identified by the Guardian newspaper in September 2005, which reported it had seen evidence that the Ministry of Defence “has details of the flights, including their origin and destination.”

Previously, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had said that the government was “unaware” of any CIA flights since 1998 using UK airspace and transporting detainees.

Ingram’s admission came after Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Nick Clegg threatened to complain to the parliamentary ombudsman unless the Ministry of Defence gave details of flights that had landed at RAF airfields. Ingram had argued such records could be provided only at “disproportionate cost” and that “the information is not recorded centrally.”

Ingram now claims that his disclosure of 14 flights does not contradict previous government statements. His letter does not state that the aircraft were used by the CIA, but the two planes are known to be CIA.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/rend-m08.shtml