Documents Show Close CIA Relationship to Gadhafi Regime

The CIA had a close relationship with Libyan intelligence under the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, according to documents seized from Libyan intelligence headquarters.

The documents, revealed to reporters Saturday, were dated in 2004 and 2005 and highlight surprising levels of cooperation between Libya and Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA, Britain’s MI-6 and Canada. The close contact between agencies reportedly began after Libya abandoned its weapons-of-mass-destruction program.

The documents also give new insight into America’s rendition program, or the questioning of terror suspects in third-party countries. –BF

CNN:

CNN found an exchange of information between Libyan intelligence and Western intelligence agencies — such as the CIA, the MI-6 in Britain and Canada’s intelligence service.

For example, the Libyans were interested to learn about alleged Islamic radicals involved in anti-Gadhafi activity in Canada, the United States and Europe. The United States and Britain were interested in any detail Libya could provide about al Qaeda.

One piece of correspondence focused on the prospect of Libya providing help to the United States in Somalia, where anti-American militants have a strong presence. There was contact between Porter Goss, who served as CIA director in the mid-2000s, and former head of external intelligence Moussa Koussa.

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