Plames linked to CIA torture
Planes linked to alleged CIA fronts landed at Canadian airports.
By Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press Writer | November 21, 2005
OTTAWA --At least six airplanes linked to alleged CIA front companies have landed at Canadian airports in the last six months, records show.
Flight data obtained Monday by The Canadian Press indicate the airports, including three in Newfoundland, have been used as stopover points for the aircraft on several occasions.
The latest information surfaced as the Bloc Quebecois called on the government to press the United States for answers about the possible presence of foreign intelligence agents.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has come under pressure over its apparent use of civilian aircraft to transport terrorism suspects -- including Ottawa engineer Maher Arar -- around the world.
More questions were triggered during the weekend with revelations a 40-seat turboprop traveled from St. John's, Newfoundland, to New Hampshire on Friday and finally on to its home base in North Carolina.
The aircraft, with identification number N196D, is registered to Devon Holding & Leasing Inc. of Lexington, N.C. -- a company identified by The New York Times as one of seven CIA-controlled shell corporations.
Montreal newspaper La Presse reported Saturday the plane left an Icelandic airport for St. John's on Thursday.
The latest records obtained by The Canadian Press show six aircraft registered to four of the front companies identified by the Times touched down in Canada in recent months.
The flights include:
--A July 22 trip from St. John's to Reykjavik, Iceland, by a plane with identification number N312ME, a Beech aircraft registered to Aviation Specialties, Inc. of Washington.
--A June 30 flight from Gander, Newfoundland, to Bangor, Maine, by a Lockheed multi-engine plane with the number N4557C, registered to Rapid Air Transport, Inc. of Beltsville, Md.
--A flight last Sunday from Iqaluit, Nunavut, to Grand Forks, N.Dak., by a DeHavilland airplane registered as N505LL to Path Corp. or Rehoboth Beach, Del.
--A stop in St. John's by the same DeHavilland plane on Oct. 28, en route to the Azores, Portugal, from Charleston, S.C.
A CIA spokesman agreed to look into the matter but had no immediate comment.
In the Commons, Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde urged the government to ask Washington about possible CIA use of Canadian air facilities.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said she had "no reports or information regarding the allegations" that arose on the weekend. She added there was no "information nor any reason to believe that such an aircraft was involved" in transporting terrorist suspects.
Spokespersons at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa were not available for comment. A spokeswoman for McLellan's department did not return a phone call.
A Foreign Affairs Department spokeswoman had no comment. "We are looking into the general issue," said Pamela Greenwell.
By Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press Writer | November 21, 2005
OTTAWA --At least six airplanes linked to alleged CIA front companies have landed at Canadian airports in the last six months, records show.
Flight data obtained Monday by The Canadian Press indicate the airports, including three in Newfoundland, have been used as stopover points for the aircraft on several occasions.
The latest information surfaced as the Bloc Quebecois called on the government to press the United States for answers about the possible presence of foreign intelligence agents.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has come under pressure over its apparent use of civilian aircraft to transport terrorism suspects -- including Ottawa engineer Maher Arar -- around the world.
More questions were triggered during the weekend with revelations a 40-seat turboprop traveled from St. John's, Newfoundland, to New Hampshire on Friday and finally on to its home base in North Carolina.
The aircraft, with identification number N196D, is registered to Devon Holding & Leasing Inc. of Lexington, N.C. -- a company identified by The New York Times as one of seven CIA-controlled shell corporations.
Montreal newspaper La Presse reported Saturday the plane left an Icelandic airport for St. John's on Thursday.
The latest records obtained by The Canadian Press show six aircraft registered to four of the front companies identified by the Times touched down in Canada in recent months.
The flights include:
--A July 22 trip from St. John's to Reykjavik, Iceland, by a plane with identification number N312ME, a Beech aircraft registered to Aviation Specialties, Inc. of Washington.
--A June 30 flight from Gander, Newfoundland, to Bangor, Maine, by a Lockheed multi-engine plane with the number N4557C, registered to Rapid Air Transport, Inc. of Beltsville, Md.
--A flight last Sunday from Iqaluit, Nunavut, to Grand Forks, N.Dak., by a DeHavilland airplane registered as N505LL to Path Corp. or Rehoboth Beach, Del.
--A stop in St. John's by the same DeHavilland plane on Oct. 28, en route to the Azores, Portugal, from Charleston, S.C.
A CIA spokesman agreed to look into the matter but had no immediate comment.
In the Commons, Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde urged the government to ask Washington about possible CIA use of Canadian air facilities.
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said she had "no reports or information regarding the allegations" that arose on the weekend. She added there was no "information nor any reason to believe that such an aircraft was involved" in transporting terrorist suspects.
Spokespersons at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa were not available for comment. A spokeswoman for McLellan's department did not return a phone call.
A Foreign Affairs Department spokeswoman had no comment. "We are looking into the general issue," said Pamela Greenwell.
posted by professor rat at 4:21 AM
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