Luxurious Lifestyles Lead to CIA Arrest Warrants in Germany

Receipts for luxurious five-star resorts, fine dining and spa treatments on the vacation island of Majorca ultimately led to the arrest warrants issued today in Germany for 13 suspected CIA agents who prosecutors say flew al Qaeda suspects to secret CIA prisons. The suspected CIA agents, whose names and nationalities were not revealed by German prosecutors, were identified based on a list put together with the help of Spanish authorities who checked flight records and hotel registries. Journalist Stephen Grey documented the agents’ visits to Spain in his book "Ghost Plane." Grey reports that in addition to the five-star resorts, the flight crew stocked their plane with fine wine, crystal and shrimp cocktails, all at the expense of the U.S. government. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Blotter German Citizen’s Lawsuit Alleges Human Rights Abuses by Tenet Blotter 1,245 Secret CIA Flights Revealed by European Parliament Map CIA Rendition Flight Stopovers in Europe Click Here to Check Out Brian Ross Slideshows "Three bottles of fine Spanish wine, two of Pesquera and an Alion, along with five crystal glasses" on one trip, according to receipts and interviews with former pilots obtained by Grey. Documentation of the agents’ visits to Spain were passed along to German prosecutors in the course of their investigation into the kidnapping of a German citizen, Khaled el-Masri (pictured). Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Masri, who is of Lebanese decent, says in December 2003 he attempted to go to Macedonia for vacation. While trying to enter the country, he says, he was arrested and put on a CIA plane. After being held in a hotel room for 23 days, Masri was allegedly moved to the "Salt Pit" in Afghanistan where, he says, he was stripped, beaten and abused by CIA agents for months. Once the CIA realized it was a case of mistaken identity, they flew him back to Europe and dumped him on a path on top of a hill in Albania without charging him with any crime, says Masri. The 13 suspects are alleged to have been on board the CIA plane that took Masri to Afghanistan. The statement issued by the German prosecutor today said the investigation concludes the suspects used false names to conceal their identities as CIA agents. German authorities are now believed to have the code names the agents allegedly used, and their investigation is now focusing on finding the agents’ real identities. The arrest warrants are not valid in the U.S., but the suspects could be arrested if they were to travel to Europe. Grey says that besides preventing these agents from working abroad, these warrants are a very significant political move. "These are very serious and respected lawyers declaring that a CIA program authorized by the president is an illegal criminal action," said Grey. "Germany is one of our closest allies in the war on terror, and now they are putting pressure on the U.S. to explain and justify the kidnapping," Grey added. Masri’s case was one of the first to draw attention to the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program, in which prisoners are flown to outside countries and technically turned over to foreign governments for interrogation. Last year, he attempted to file a lawsuit in the U.S., but it was dismissed after the government argued it would reveal information vital to national security and the war on terror. Masri’s lawyers have appealed that ruling.