CIA threatened suspect's children

Aug 24 2009

CIA agents threatened to kill the children of a terror suspect in an attempt to make him talk, a report into prisoner abuse has revealed.

The document, compiled by the agency's inspector general in 2004, could lead to criminal charges against interrogators, with the US attorney general reportedly having already lined up a senior prosecutor to investigate claims of mistreatment.

The disclosure came as President Barack Obama gave his approval to a new interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House, marking a move away from the Bush-era policy of giving the CIA the lead when it comes to questioning al Qaida suspects.

Bill Burton, deputy press secretary to the White House, said that the move was not intended to sideline the CIA when it comes to interrogation. But he added that the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, as the body will be known, will be led by an FBI official.

It comes as the CIA braced itself for criticism over its methods under the previous administration following the declassification of a CIA document. The report followed a lawsuit from pressure group the American Civil Liberties Union.

It reveals that terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was warned that his children we're going to be killed in the event of further attacks in the US. Another alleged al Qaida member was allegedly told that his mother would be sexually assaulted in front of his eyes if he did not speak.

US Attorney General Eric Holder was said to have been disgusted when he read a classified version of the report earlier this year.

Mr Obama has previously indicated that he does not favour prosecuting Bush administration officials in connection with prisoner abuses. Mr Burton said that the president believes the US "should be looking forward, not backwards". But he is leaving the decision with the attorney general.

Officials at the Justice Department said that federal prosecutor John Durham will be appointed by Mr Holder to investigate alleged CIA abuses.

In an email to CIA employees, Leon Panetta, the agency's director, said he intends to "stand up for those officers who did what their country asked and who followed the legal guidance they were given". He added: "That is the president's position too."