U.K. recalls diplomat accused of torture

28 December 2005

The Times report: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1959731,00.html
The Guardian report: http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1674303,00.html
The MI6 station chief in Athens appears to be Nicholas Langman (see Greek spelling of the name in red box in Greek paper below), Counsellor at the British Embassy in Athens. Langman has been identified as an MI6 official by Steven Dorril in MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service: http://cryptome.org/mi6-sd36.htm.
Langman listed in the Foreign Office HM Diplomatic Service Overseas Reference List in August 2005:



LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Britain has recalled a diplomat from Greece who was accused by a magazine of being a spy who tortured Pakistani terror suspects.

The British government issued a gag order prohibiting the publication of the man's name, but said he had been recalled "for his own safety," The Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Proto Thema, a Greek magazine, said the man was posing as a diplomat, and was in fact the MI6 foreign intelligence station chief. It also published claims by 28 Pakistani workers that they had been beaten by British and Greek counter-terrorism officers last July as they investigated links to the July 7 London transit bombings.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw dismissed the torture allegations as "utter nonsense."

The magazine also unmasked 15 Greek intelligence officials, which was denounced by Athens as illegal "because they endanger national security."



Greek newspaper identifies U.K. agent

ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A Greek newspaper has published the name of what it claims to be a British spy allegedly involved in the abduction and mistreatment of 28 Pakistani migrants.

The alleged spy was identified as the Athens chief of Britain's intelligence service MI6. The newspaper also named 15 Greek agents it said were also allegedly involved in the operation that took place after the July 7 bombings in London, reports the BBC.

The Greek intelligence agency condemned the newspaper, saying the publication of the names had endangered the safety of its agents in the field.

All the Pakistani immigrants allege they had hoods placed over their heads and some were held incommunicado for seven days, the report said.

Separately, The Times of London reported the British government, which until now has denied its officials played any part in this counter-terror operation, refused to confirm or deny if the person named in the Greek press worked at the British Embassy in Athens.




British agents accused of using torture

LONDON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A Greek lawyer charges British agents kidnapped and used "psychological torture" on detainees held in Greece while investigating the July 7 London bombings.

Frangiscos Ragoussis plans to present to the Greek parliament reports on what he claims was the treatment of 28 detainees, all of Pakistani origin, by Britain's MI6 officers, The Times of London said. He claims the detainees were hooded and held in secret.

He said detainees were threatened by two British agents who warned their families in Greece and Britain would suffer if they complained about their treatment, the report said.

The British government already is under pressure to investigate the alleged use British airports by U.S. agents to ferry al-Qaida suspects to secret prisons in Europe and the Middle East, The Times reported.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has denied British airports were used by the United States for "extraordinary rendition" flights to take terrorist suspects for interrogation in third countries.