There have been recent controversies over whether unofficial (offical) CIA flights have being taking place. The purpose of these flights has often been the illegal transportation of undesirables (terrorists) to dention centers (prisons) which have a more lenient view of human rights abuse (allow torture).
The nice thing is that among all the political statements such as no such planes flew or landed here the proof of their existence is provided by the low-tech. In a hobby which is akin to the eccentric train-spotting I have now learnt of the practice of plane-spotting. The activities of the plane spotters has created a minor headache for the politicians wishing to happily claim that the evil planes ever existed.
The Guardian has an interesting article reporting this story:
Paul last saw the Gulfstream V about 18 months ago. He comes down to Glasgow airport’s planespotters’ club most days. He had not seen the plane before so he marked the serial number down in his book. At the time, he did not think there was anything unusual about the Gulfstream being ushered to a stand away from public view, one that could not be seen from the airport terminal or the club’s prime view.
But that flight this week was at the centre of a transatlantic row that saw the prime minister being put on the spot on the floor of the House of Commons and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, forced on the defensive during a visit to Europe. The Gulfstream V has been identified as having been used by the CIA for “extraordinary renditions” – abducting terror suspects and taking them to secret prisons around the world where they may be tortured.