U.S. launches criminal probe of CIA tapes

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it had launched a criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.

"There is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation," said Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

The Central Intelligence Agency last month disclosed that in 2005 it destroyed hundreds of hours of tapes from the interrogations of two al Qaeda suspects, prompting an outcry from Democrats, human rights activists and some legal experts.

The interrogations, which took place in 2002, were believed to have included a form of simulated drowning known as waterboarding, condemned internationally as torture.

President George W. Bush has said the United States does not torture but has declined to be specific about interrogation methods.

The Justice Department and the CIA's inspector general last month launched an initial inquiry into the destruction of the tapes.

The CIA says it acted lawfully in destroying the tapes, but critics say the agency flouted court orders and investigators' requests that it hand over evidence in various terrorism cases. A Justice Department official declined to specify what laws may have been violated.

"Those tapes may have been evidence of a crime, and their destruction may have been a crime in itself," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and member of the Judiciary Committee.