'Rendition' victim seeks CIA extradition

MUNICH, Germany, June 9 (UPI) -- A German citizen who claims he was kidnapped and tortured as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" anti-terrorism program is seeking legal relief.

Khaled al-Masri, a Lebanese-born German citizen, sued the German Justice Ministry in a civil action Monday, seeking to force it to extradite 13 U.S. agents he says kidnapped and tortured him in the mistaken belief he was a terrorist, Deutsche Welle reported Monday.

Masri claims the CIA kidnapped him in Macedonia in 2003 after he was confused with a Sept. 11, 2001, terror suspect, and taken to Afghanistan where he was allegedly interrogated and tortured for four months before being released in Albania, Deutsche Welle said. U.S. officials have never admitted to a part in Masri's detention, the newspaper said.

Masri filed the civil suit after the Justice Ministry in September declined to seek extradition of the CIA agents despite the issuance of arrest warrants for them from a German court in Munich.

The report didn't say what Masri was seeking through the lawsuit.