Britain Admits Awareness of CIA Prisons
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The British foreign secretary admitted Friday that her government was aware of a secret CIA prison network before President Bush acknowledged its existence in September.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett made the admission in a written response to a parliamentary question.
A a recent speech, Bush included a reference to the “existence of a detention program operated by the CIA.” Bush said 14 high-value detainees — including the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed — had been transferred from clandestine centers to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“Prior to this speech, we were aware of the existence of a secret U.S. detention program only in general terms,” Beckett said in response to a lawmaker’s question.
