FBI Probes Terror Cases Muddied by CIA

(AP) - A newly declassified CIA report says interrogators threatened to kill the children of a Sept. 11 suspect. The document, released today by the Justice Department, says one interrogator said a colleague had told Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that if any other attacks happened in the United States, "We're going to kill your children." More»

That includes Gitmo and Bagram, where most CIA suspects are held

(NEWSER) - From now on, military personnel must tape any interrogations that take place on a major military base, and are aimed at gathering “strategic intelligence,” according to a new order from the Pentagon. The regulations would apply to Guantanamo Bay, and Bagram Air Base, where the CIA is holding most of its suspected terrorists, the Wall Street Journal reports. It specifically does not apply, however, to troops in the field. More»

Afghan bombing spotlights Amman's pivotal counterterrorism role

(NEWSER) - The death of a Jordanian intelligence operative alongside seven CIA agents in last week's bombing of a CIA facility in Afghanistan offered an unusually visible sign of Jordan's emerging role as a low-profile but crucial US counterterrorism ally. Since 9/11, the Middle Eastern nation's role in the fight against Islamic terrorism has quietly but steadily grown, earning praise from US intelligence—as well as criticism from human rights groups. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has ordered the creation of an elite squad that will take over terror interrogations from the CIA, senior officials tell the Washington Post. Dubbed the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, or HIG, the unit will be housed with the FBI, but overseen by the White House through the National Security Council. Its director will likely come from the FBI, but the deputy could come from the CIA. More»

Operation's architects lacked training in conducting interrogations, say CIS records

(NEWSER) - Two US psychologists with no training in conducting interrogations boasted of earning $1000 a day designing and helping to implement use of waterboarding techniques on CIA detainees, reports ABC News. Bruce Jessen and Jim Mitchell, former military officers, are considered the architects of the interrogation operation that Barack Obama has labeled torture. More»