Hutton: Britain gave U.S. terror suspects

LONDON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- British Defense Secretary John Hutton says his country handed over two terror suspects to the United States despite prior government claims to the contrary.

The Times of London said while the British government has claimed to have never taken part in extraordinary rendition, Hutton said in a statement that British officials knowingly handed over two Pakistani terror suspects to their U.S. counterparts.

Extraordinary rendition involves the transfer of prisoners to countries where torture remains a legal interrogation option.

Hutton said the suspects, who allegedly had ties to al-Qaida, have since been transferred to Afghanistan to undergo interrogation. They had been captured in Iraq in 2004, The Times said.

"The U.S. government has explained to us that they were moved to Afghanistan because of a lack of relevant linguists necessary to interrogate them effectively in Iraq," Hutton said.

The Guardian said, according to Hutton, U.S. officials maintain the two suspects are being held in humane conditions.

Nonetheless, Hutton said there should have been more discussion regarding the decision to hand over the prisoners, The Times reported.

"In retrospect, it is clear to me that the transfer to Afghanistan of these two individuals should have been questioned at the time," he said.