The US department of justice will launch a criminal investigation into the destruction of videotapes showing the interrogation of terrorism suspects, the US attorney-general has said.
Michael Mukasey on Wednesday appointed John Durham, a federal prosecutor, to oversee the investigation.
Mukasey said: "The department's national security division has recommended, and I have concluded, that there is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation."
Last month, the CIA had acknowledged that it destroyed videos of officers using allegedly tough interrogation methods while questioning two "terror" suspects.
Al Jazeera English - News - Criminal Probe Into CIA Tapes and CIA rejects 9/11 commission leaders criticism on destroyed tapes on AFP
Also see "The Hidden History of CIA Torture: America's Road to Abu Ghraib" on www.globalresearch.ca and VNM for torture details