WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union sued former CIA director George Tenet Tuesday for ordering the abduction of a man in Germany for terror interrogation.
Lebanese-born Khaled El-Masri, a 42-year-old German citizen, was kidnapped while on holiday in Macedonia. He said he was detained, beaten, drugged, and transported to a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan. After several months, he was abandoned on a hill in Albania with no explanation, and was never charged with a crime, the rights group claims.
The lawsuit also charges three corporations that owned and operated the airplane used to transport El-Masri to detention in Afghanistan are legally responsible for assisting in the violation of his civil and human rights.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had confirmed the allegations during their meeting, Deutsche Welle reported.
"The American administration has admitted that this man was erroneously taken," Merkel said.
Rice said el-Masri's case was a matter for litigation, and that the United States was ready to correct its mistakes.
