Solomon2
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Here's one of the more interesting pages:
Summary: The CIA represented that its enhanced interrogation
techniques were effective and produced critical, otherwise unavailable intelligence, which
thwarted plots and saved lives. Over a period of years, the CIA provided the identification and
thwarting of the Heathrow Airport Plot as evidence for the effectiveness of the CIA's enhanced
interrogation techniques. These representations were inaccurate. A review of records indicates
that the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting had not progressed beyond the initial
planning stages when the operation was fully disrupted with the detentions of Ramzi bin alShibh,
KSM, Ammar-al-Baluchi, and Khallad bin Attash. None of these individuals were
captured as a result of reporting obtained during or after the use of the CIA's enhanced
interrogation techniques against CIA detainees.
Further Details: After the September 11, 2001, attacks against the
United States, KSM sought to target the United Kingdom using hijacked aircraft and surmised
that Heathrow Airport and a building in Canary Wharf, a major business district in London, were
powerful economic symbols.^^^^ The initial planwas for al-Qa'ida operatives to hijackmultiple
airplanes departing Heathrow Airport, turn them around, and crash them into the airport itself.
Security was assessed to be too tight at Heathrow Airport and the plan was altered to focus on
aircrafts departing from mainly Eastern European airports to conduct attacks against Heathrow
Airport. Al-Qa'ida was unable to locate pilots to conduct these attacks.Once KSM was
detained in Pakistan on March 1, 2003, responsibility for the planning was passed to Ammar alBaluchi
and Khallad bin Attash, who were at the time focused on caiTying out attacks against
Western interests in Karachi, Pakistan.
The thwarting of the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting
is one of the eight most frequently cited examples provided by the CIA as evidence for the
effectiveness of the CIA's enlianced interrogation techniques. Over a period of years, CIA
documents prepared for and provided to senior policymakers, intelligence officials, and the
Department of Justice represent the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting as an example
of how "[k]ey intelligence collected from HVD interrogations after applying interrogation
techniques" had "enabled CIA to disrupt terrorist plots" and "capture additional ten'orists."^^^^
The CIA further represented that the intelligence acquired from the CIA's enhanced inteiTogation
techniques was "otherwise unavailable" and "saved lives."^^^^
Poi" example, on December 23, 2005, CIA Director Porter Goss
suspending the use of the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques because of the passage of the
Detainee Treatment Act (the "McCain amendment"). The letter stated:
"...only 29 [CIA detainees] have undergone an inteiTogation that used one or
more of the 13 [CIA enhanced interrogation] techniques.These
inten-ogations produced intelligence that allowed the U.S., and its partners, to
disrupt attacks such as 911-style attacks planned for the U.S. West Coast and
for Heathrow airport. I can inform you with confidence that this program has
allowed the U.S. to save hundreds, ifnot thousands, oflives
Similarly, the CIA infoiTned the CIA inspector general on
February 27, 2004, that:
"As a result of the lawful use of EITs, KSM also provided information on an
al-Qa'ida plotfor suicide airplane attacks outside ofthe United States that
would have killed thousands ofpeople in the United Kingdom. .. .Of note, even
after KSM reported that al-Qa'ida was planning to target Heathrow, he at first
repeatedly denied there was any other target than the airport. Only after the
repeated lawful use ofEITs did he stop lying and admit that the sketch ofa
beam labeled Canary Wharfin his notebook was infact an illustration that
KSM the engineer drew himselfin order to show another AQ operative that the
beams in the Wharf- like those in the World Trade Center would likely melt
and collapse the building, killing all inside.... We are still debriefing detainees
and following up on leads to destroy this cell, but at a minimum the lawful use
ofBIT's on KSMprovided us with critical information that alerted us to these
threats....
...A review of records indicates that the Heathrow Airpoit plotting
had not progressed beyond the initial planning stages when die operation was fully disrupted
with the detentions ofRamzi bin al-Shibh (detained on September 11, 2002),^^^^ KSM (detained
on March 1, 2003),^^^° Ammar-al-Baluchi (detained on April 29, 2003), and Khallad bin Attash
(detained on April 29, 2003,).^^^^ There are no CIA records to indicate that any of the
individuals were captured as a result of CIA detainee reporting. A draft National Terrorism
Bulletin from March 2006 states: "the [Heathrow Airport] operation was disrupted mid-cycle,
around the spring of2003, when several ofthe key plotters, including KSM, were detained."'^^"
Foreign government intelligence analysis came to the same conclusion.
*
Essentially, the Senate is saying that torture was ineffective as a counter-terror tool in this instance because the Heathrow Airport plot "had not progressed beyond the initial planning stages".
A frank translation into ordinary English? The tortured persons were babbling rather than providing useful information.
Summary: The CIA represented that its enhanced interrogation
techniques were effective and produced critical, otherwise unavailable intelligence, which
thwarted plots and saved lives. Over a period of years, the CIA provided the identification and
thwarting of the Heathrow Airport Plot as evidence for the effectiveness of the CIA's enhanced
interrogation techniques. These representations were inaccurate. A review of records indicates
that the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting had not progressed beyond the initial
planning stages when the operation was fully disrupted with the detentions of Ramzi bin alShibh,
KSM, Ammar-al-Baluchi, and Khallad bin Attash. None of these individuals were
captured as a result of reporting obtained during or after the use of the CIA's enhanced
interrogation techniques against CIA detainees.
Further Details: After the September 11, 2001, attacks against the
United States, KSM sought to target the United Kingdom using hijacked aircraft and surmised
that Heathrow Airport and a building in Canary Wharf, a major business district in London, were
powerful economic symbols.^^^^ The initial planwas for al-Qa'ida operatives to hijackmultiple
airplanes departing Heathrow Airport, turn them around, and crash them into the airport itself.
Security was assessed to be too tight at Heathrow Airport and the plan was altered to focus on
aircrafts departing from mainly Eastern European airports to conduct attacks against Heathrow
Airport. Al-Qa'ida was unable to locate pilots to conduct these attacks.Once KSM was
detained in Pakistan on March 1, 2003, responsibility for the planning was passed to Ammar alBaluchi
and Khallad bin Attash, who were at the time focused on caiTying out attacks against
Western interests in Karachi, Pakistan.
The thwarting of the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting
is one of the eight most frequently cited examples provided by the CIA as evidence for the
effectiveness of the CIA's enlianced interrogation techniques. Over a period of years, CIA
documents prepared for and provided to senior policymakers, intelligence officials, and the
Department of Justice represent the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting as an example
of how "[k]ey intelligence collected from HVD interrogations after applying interrogation
techniques" had "enabled CIA to disrupt terrorist plots" and "capture additional ten'orists."^^^^
The CIA further represented that the intelligence acquired from the CIA's enhanced inteiTogation
techniques was "otherwise unavailable" and "saved lives."^^^^
Poi" example, on December 23, 2005, CIA Director Porter Goss
suspending the use of the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques because of the passage of the
Detainee Treatment Act (the "McCain amendment"). The letter stated:
"...only 29 [CIA detainees] have undergone an inteiTogation that used one or
more of the 13 [CIA enhanced interrogation] techniques.These
inten-ogations produced intelligence that allowed the U.S., and its partners, to
disrupt attacks such as 911-style attacks planned for the U.S. West Coast and
for Heathrow airport. I can inform you with confidence that this program has
allowed the U.S. to save hundreds, ifnot thousands, oflives
Similarly, the CIA infoiTned the CIA inspector general on
February 27, 2004, that:
"As a result of the lawful use of EITs, KSM also provided information on an
al-Qa'ida plotfor suicide airplane attacks outside ofthe United States that
would have killed thousands ofpeople in the United Kingdom. .. .Of note, even
after KSM reported that al-Qa'ida was planning to target Heathrow, he at first
repeatedly denied there was any other target than the airport. Only after the
repeated lawful use ofEITs did he stop lying and admit that the sketch ofa
beam labeled Canary Wharfin his notebook was infact an illustration that
KSM the engineer drew himselfin order to show another AQ operative that the
beams in the Wharf- like those in the World Trade Center would likely melt
and collapse the building, killing all inside.... We are still debriefing detainees
and following up on leads to destroy this cell, but at a minimum the lawful use
ofBIT's on KSMprovided us with critical information that alerted us to these
threats....
...A review of records indicates that the Heathrow Airpoit plotting
had not progressed beyond the initial planning stages when die operation was fully disrupted
with the detentions ofRamzi bin al-Shibh (detained on September 11, 2002),^^^^ KSM (detained
on March 1, 2003),^^^° Ammar-al-Baluchi (detained on April 29, 2003), and Khallad bin Attash
(detained on April 29, 2003,).^^^^ There are no CIA records to indicate that any of the
individuals were captured as a result of CIA detainee reporting. A draft National Terrorism
Bulletin from March 2006 states: "the [Heathrow Airport] operation was disrupted mid-cycle,
around the spring of2003, when several ofthe key plotters, including KSM, were detained."'^^"
Foreign government intelligence analysis came to the same conclusion.
*
Essentially, the Senate is saying that torture was ineffective as a counter-terror tool in this instance because the Heathrow Airport plot "had not progressed beyond the initial planning stages".
A frank translation into ordinary English? The tortured persons were babbling rather than providing useful information.
