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CIA Flights in Europe

A German Hub for Secret Flights?

For weeks, concern has grown about the use of airports in Germany by the CIA for its controversial 'extraordinary renditions' program. Now, it looks like there were hundreds of such suspected flights. At least 437 according to a new list provided by German air traffic controllers.

As much as new German Chancellor Angela Merkel may want to improve relations between the United States and Germany, events in the skies over Europe are making it increasingly difficult. Just prior to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Europe -- set to begin on Monday -- more details are emerging about the secret CIA flights that allegedly used airports and US airbases in Germany and other European countries to fly terror suspects to third countries for interrogation. Called "extraordinary renditions," the alleged flights are violations of international law in that the suspects have been granted no rights and may have been subject to torture with the complicity of US intelligence officials.

A new list in Germany indicates that the CIA used German-based facilities at least 437 times for such controversial CIA flights. The number comes from German air traffic controllers at the request of Left Party parliamentarians. Two aircraft registered to the CIA alone used German airspace or landed at airports in Germany 137 times and 146 times respectively in 2002 and 2003. The heaviest traffic was at Airports in Frankfurt, Berlin, and at the American air base in Ramstein. The numbers are much higher than those that resulted from a recent study done by the New York Times, which indicates a total of 94 such CIA flights in Germany.

Questions for Rice

Rice is almost certain to be asked about the flights during her visit to Germany this week. She is set to meet with Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The German government, however, is anxious to avoid a broader debate in Germany about the stationing of US troops and the use of German airspace for the war in Iraq.

Berlin is also anxious to avoid being implicated in the growing CIA flight scandal. According to a Washington Post story over the weekend, former German interior minister Otto Schily was informed as early as May 2004 about the abduction of German citizen Khaled al-Masri -- who was picked up by the CIA in Macedonia in late 2003 and flown to Afghanistan for interrogation. His informant was former US ambassador to Germany Daniel R. Coats. Despite Schily's alleged knowledge of the CIA "extraordinary rendition" practice, the government has consistently denied knowing anything about the Masri case. He was later released after it became apparent he had been abducted by mistake.