British police to investigate allegation that spy agency was complicit in torture

September 15th, 2009 UK military police investigate Iraq rape claimLONDON — Britain's defense ministry says the Royal Military police are investigating an allegation that soldiers raped and maimed an Iraqi man. The ministry said Tuesday that an inquiry has begun into claims that two soldiers abused a laborer at a military base in Basra, southern Iraq, in May 2003.

September 11th, 2009 UK police probe spy agency MI6 on torture claimLONDON — British police are investigating an allegation that the country's MI6 overseas spy agency was complicit in torture, the second inquiry launched in recent months examining the conduct of the country's spies. Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who oversees MI6, said the agency had referred a case to the government's chief legal adviser Patricia Scotland, who ruled that police should carry out an inquiry.

September 11th, 2009 UK police to investigate spy over torture claimLONDON — Britain's foreign intelligence agency MI6 reported one of its officers to authorities amid new concerns over the country's possible complicity in torture, prompting police to launch an investigation Friday, officials said. MI6 referred an incident to the government's chief legal adviser, Patricia Scotland, who ruled police should carry out an inquiry, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

August 11th, 2009 LONDON - The British Government has said that an inquiry into whether Britain's intelligence services have been involved indirectly in the torture of terrorist suspects by foreign agencies is not necessary. The decision follows after the head of MI6, Sir John Scarlett, publicly insisted that none of his intelligence officers could be accused of complicit involvement in torture.

August 10th, 2009 UK chief says spies not complicit in tortureLONDON —Britain's foreign spy chief denied in an interview broadcast Monday that agents tortured terror suspects or that Britain colluded with countries that use torture. John Scarlett's claim comes amid growing calls for an official inquiry into how much the government knew about the treatment of terror suspects overseas.

August 4th, 2009 LONDON - The British government came under increased pressure Tuesday to answer allegations that its intelligence agencies were complicit in the torture of terrorism suspects abroad. The Joint Human Rights Committee of the British parliament said in a report that there was now a "disturbing number of credible allegations" of British complicity in torture concerning suspects detained in the wake of the Sep 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

August 4th, 2009 British lawmakers seek inquiry into torture claimsLONDON — The British government has refused to answer questions about whether its spies were complicit in the torture of terrorist suspects, and only an independent inquiry can clear the air and restore public confidence, a committee of lawmakers said Tuesday. Government officials say Britain does not condone or participate in torture, but officials have avoided answering specific allegations that Britain participated indirectly by obtaining intelligence from suspects who had been tortured overseas, or sending agents to visit suspects who suffered mistreatment in foreign facilities.

July 10th, 2009 UK police investigating Gitmo detainee's claimsLONDON — Police said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation to determine if British intelligence officers were aware of the treatment of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who claims he was tortured while being detained in Guantanamo, Pakistan and Morocco. Binyam Mohamed — an Ethiopian who moved to Britain as a teenager — was arrested as a suspected terrorist in 2002 in Karachi, Pakistan, and alleges that during three months of detention he was tortured by Pakistani agents and interrogated by the FBI and MI5, Britain's domestic security agency.

July 7th, 2009 LONDON - The British Security Service, MI5 has been accused of attempting to bribe a man who was jailed on terrorism charges, in a bid to persuade him to withdraw his custodial torture complaints. Rangzieb Ahmed had three of his fingernails ripped out after MI5 and Greater Manchester police (GMP) drew up a list of questions for officers from a notorious Pakistani intelligence agency.

June 10th, 2009 British police investigate reports of brutalityLONDON — Britain's police watchdog investigated brutality allegations Wednesday against six London officers who were suspended over claims they abused suspects arrested in drug raids. Media reported the officers used torture techniques including a variation on waterboarding, or simulated drowning, and dunked suspects' heads in buckets of water.

May 27th, 2009 LONDON - British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is likely to face legal action over allegations that MI5 agents colluded in the torture of a British former civil servant by Bangladeshi intelligence officers. According to The Telegraph, lawyers for the British man, Jamil Rahman, are to file a damages claim alleging that Smith was complicit in assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights legislation over his alleged ill-treatment while detained in Bangladesh.

March 28th, 2009 LONDON - British security and intelligence officers have expressed their concerns over the mistreatment of detained terror suspects, interviewed while in US custody abroad. Military Intelligence-Section 5 (MI5) and Military Intelligence-Section 6 (MI6) recently set up an inquiry to look into the allegations.

March 19th, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that his government will publicly disclose for the first time guidelines MI5 uses when interrogating suspects. Brown, in a written statement to the House of Commons, said the step is being taken to "protect the reputation of our security and intelligence services" and to demonstrate that Britain does not torture suspects.

March 14th, 2009 LONDON - Greater Manchester Police confirmed that they are investigating an allegation of common assault against Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho. It has been alleged that the former Chelsea boss punched a fan near his team bus outside Old Trafford following Inter's 0-2 Champions League defeat to United Wednesday.

February 23rd, 2009 LONDON - A forthcoming human rights report says British agents colluded with their Pakistani counterparts in the routine torture of British - and Pakistani - terror suspects, a newspaper reported Sunday. A study to be published next month by the civil liberties group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says at least 10 Britons are identified who have been allegedly tortured in Pakistan and subsequently questioned by British intelligence officials, the Observer said.