Ministers in Edinburgh have been urged to step up their investigations into the use of Scottish airports to support CIA rendition flights.



The Scottish Greens and Labour said a damning report into the UK government’s complicity in the illegal rendition of terrorism suspects for kidnap and torture strengthened the case for action by Scottish ministers.

They said Thursday’s report by the intelligence and security committee reinforced their concerns that Scottish airports were used to refuel and resupply scores of US flights taking suspects to and from foreign interrogation sites, although detainees were not on board when those flights landed in the UK.



The ISC report confirmed that a Police Scotland investigation set up five years ago, after the Guardian revealed how frequently Scottish airports had been used, had still not reported back or produced any findings.

Academics involved in the rendition project, Dr Sam Raphael and Prof Ruth Blakeley, said they believed those flights included operations involving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The airports include Wick John O’ Groats and Inverness, which are run by the state-owned operator Highlands and Islands Airports, and Prestwick, which was privately run at the time, and the most heavily used for rendition operations, servicing more than 75 flights.

John Finnie, a Scottish Green MSP and a former police officer, said the ISC report made a compelling case for ministers to now set up a public inquiry into Scotland’s role in the controversy.

He wrote to Humza Yousaf, the newly appointed Scottish justice secretary, urging him to investigate. “Airports under direct control of Scottish ministers are clearly implicated in the vilest of crimes,” Finnie said. “Rightly, there is world attention on these matters and the potential for significant reputational damage to Scotland.”

Neil Findlay, a Scottish Labour MSP, said the lord advocate, James Wolffe QC, should provide an urgent update to the Scottish parliament on the police inquiry.

“There are important questions that need to be answered and those include the use of Scottish airports for rendition,” Findlay said. “The Scottish government gave a commitment that Police Scotland would thoroughly investigate this and we are still waiting.”

The Crown Office, Scotland’s prosecution authority, said police research was ongoing. Police Scotland said earlier this year: “We continue to gather and analyse the information being made available to us with a view to preparing a report for consideration by the Crown Office.”

