Police seek ‘full version’ of torture report

POLICE probing whether Scottish airports played a role in ‘rendition’ flights are to demand a full, uncensored version of the US Senate report on CIA torture.

Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland has ordered Police Scotland to examine the report, which revealed the horrifying scale of the CIA’s use of torture, as part of the ongoing investigation.

Scottish police launched the probe into claims the nation’s airports were used as stopping-off points for American ‘torture flights’ 18 months ago. The Mail understands an interim police report has been submitted to the Crown on the issue, prior to the publication of the Senate committee’s CIA report earlier this week, but Police Scotland will now be seeking a full copy.

A Scottish justice system source said: ‘In order to carry out as professional an investigation as possible, as per the Lord Advocate’s direction yesterday, Police Scotland will be seeking a copy of the report unredacted so we can glean as much pertinent information as possible to add to the investigation which has been ongoing.’

There were signs last night that police will face a battle in obtaining this. Tom Mentzer, press officer for Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Dianne Feinstein, said: ‘The full report remains a classified document. I am not sure under what circumstances that can be viewed by Police Scotland or anybody else, but it remains classified’.

Mr Mulholland is to fly to the US soon to meet FBI officials and the rendition issue is likely to be on the agenda.

Detectives in Scotland have already launched a probe into whether Scottish airports played a role.

But Central Ayrshire Labour MP Brian Donohoe, chairman of the Commons’ AllParty Aviation Group, said he believed the police inquiry would be unsuccessful: ‘It’s a waste of police time: I don’t believe they will find anything. If there had been anything to find, I believe an MP in my position would have known about it by now.’