Ireland: row on US torture ‘rendition’ flights

From British daily The Guardian:

Ireland threatens to search US planes

Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent

Thursday June 15, 2006

Random inspections may be carried out on US aircraft, the Irish government has warned, after a handcuffed and manacled marine was discovered by cleaners on board a military charter flight at Shannon airport.

The transfer of the prisoner – deemed illegal because permission had not been sought in advance from Ireland’s justice department – has aggravated the political row over CIA renditions of terrorist suspects through European airspace.

The US ambassador, James Kenny, was summoned to the Irish foreign affairs department to explain the failure to comply with regulations required under international law.

He has been asked to produce a report on the incident.

See also here.

Anti rendition protests in Britain: here.