Bush admits to CIA jails; top suspects are relocated

President says agency's tactics thwarted attacks

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney left the East Room after a news conference yesterday about new guidelines for treating detainees at Guantanamo. (Mark Wilson/ Getty Images)

September 7, 2006

By John Donnelly and Rick Klein, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- President Bush yesterday announced 14 high-profile terrorist suspects -- including the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks -- have been transferred from CIA custody to the Guantanamo Bay detention center for prosecution, the first time the president has acknowledged the existence of CIA-operated secret prisons for high-priority detainees.

But the president also adamantly defended the CIA, making it clear that, when it comes to terrorism, the agency will continue to operate under its own code of conduct. Bush said the agency's ``tough but necessary" interrogation methods don't amount to torture and have yielded information that thwarted terrorist attacks and led to the capture of top Al Qaeda leaders.

``I can say that questioning the detainees in this program has given us information that has saved innocent lives by helping us stop new attacks here in the United States and across the world," Bush said. The CIA held the men outside the United States, Bush said, because ``it's been necessary to move these individuals to an environment where they can be held secretly, questioned by experts, and when appropriate, prosecuted for terrorist acts."

The suspects include Khalid Sheik Mohammed , described as the architect of the Sept. 11 attacks; Ramzi Binalshibh , an alleged would-be Sept. 11 hijacker; and Abu Zubaydah , who was believed to be a link between Osama bin Laden and many Al Qaeda cells before his capture in Pakistan in 2002.

Hours before Bush's speech, the US Army released new rules on treatment of prisoners. The rules ban troops from using ``degrading, humiliating" treatment against detainees, including forced nudity, mock executions, and a harsh interrogation technique called ``water boarding," which simulates drowning.

Links:

Bush admits the CIA runs secret prisons

Bush admits to secret CIA prisons

European states urged to come clean on CIA jails