Miliband was 'duped' by CIA over torture of terror suspects on British soil, says U.S. official

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David Miliband has allowed himself to be 'duped on a colossal scale' by the U.S. over torture flights for terror suspects, it was claimed yesterday.

Campaigners are outraged at a claim from a high-ranking official that the CIA used British territory to interrogate and possibly torture suspects.

Rumours of this sort have been repeatedly denied by the Foreign Secretary.

But now a former senior U.S. official has told the respected Time magazine that suspects were questioned on the British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia.

He said that in 2002 - and possibly 2003 - the U.S. imprisoned and interrogated at least one suspect at a base there.

A CIA counter-terrorism official twice said 'high-value prisoners' had been held and questioned on the island, according to the source quoted in the magazine.

The official also claimed the U.S. may have kept prisoners on ships within Diego Garcia's territorial waters.

The allegation piles further pressure on the Government for an independent inquiry into UK involvement in so-called 'extraordinary rendition'.

The term is used to describe how the U.S. sends terror suspects for interrogation in states where they have no legal protection.

The Government at first denied the U.S. had used British territory even to transport such prisoners.

The Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia where the U.S. interrogated and possibly tortured prisoners according to an official

But earlier this year, Mr Miliband was forced to issue an apology to Parliament after it emerged that two flights carrying terror suspects had landed on Diego Garcia.

He said, however, he had been assured these were just refuelling stops.

Yesterday the civil rights group Liberty called for an inquiry.

And the charity Reprieve said: 'The Time story further demonstrates that the British Government has allowed itself to be duped by the U.S. on a colossal scale.'

The Foreign Office said any evidence would be raised with the U.S. authorities.