German Arrest Warrants for CIA Kidnapping, Torture of Khaled el-Masri; US Extraordinary Rendition Scrutinized Around the Globe

German prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for thirteen CIA operatives linked to the kidnapping and torture of a German citizen three years ago. The man -- Khaled el-Masri -- was seized in Macedonia and then flown on a CIA jet to a secret U.S. jail in Afghanistan. He was held for five months, tortured and then released.

The arrest warrants for the CIA agents were announced at a time that the US practice known as extraordinary rendition is coming under increasing scrutiny around the globe. In Italy, another 26 CIA agents face prosecution for their role in the abduction of the Egyptian cleric Abu Omar off the streets of Milan. In Spain, a judge ruled on Thursday for the state’s intelligence agency to declassify any documents it has about secret CIA flights.

Meanwhile the Canadian government agreed last week to pay nearly nine million dollars to Maher Arar. He is the Canadian citizen who was seized by U.S. officials in Kennedy airport in 2002 and then sent to a Syrian jail where he was tortured. Khaled el-Masri, Abu Omar and Maher Arar were all seized as part of the secretive U.S. program known as extraordinary rendition. El- Masri and Arar tried to sue the CIA in federal court but their cases were dismissed on grounds that they would reveal state secrets. Earlier this week al-Masri’s lawyer, Manfred Gnjidic, called for accountability.

* Manfred Gnjidic.

The Bush administration has refused to admit that U.S. agents were involved in El-Masri’s abduction. On Wednesday State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack was questioned about the arrest warrants.

* Sean McCormack.

Joining me now from Toronto is British journalist Stephen Grey -- he helped expose the secret rendition program back in 2004 and is the author of the new book “Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program.” And Frederick Hitz joins me on the phone from Virginia -- From 1990 to 1998 he served as the Inspector General to the Central Intelligence Agency. He now teaches at the University of Virginia School of Law.

* Stephen Grey. Award-winning investigative journalist who first exposed the secret rendition program in 2004. He is author of the book “Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program.” His website is Ghostplane.net.

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