Former CIA station chief target of rape inquiry

[DealMonkey]

In case there was any doubt in your mind why you, as an American Citizen, should not trust your government nor the intel orgs that work for them to do the right thing.

Former CIA station chief target of rape inquiry

- Source: Two Algerian woman say CIA officer raped them in Algeria
- Women say date-rape drugs were used in assaults
- Source: Man was relieved of job as CIA's Algeria station chief after allegations
- Tapes showing apparently semiconscious women, sex acts found, source says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former CIA station chief in Algeria is under investigation by the State and Justice departments after being accused of raping at least two women while he held the post, a source confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

The women told investigators that they think date-rape drugs were used in the assaults, which are said to have occurred at the officer's official residence, according to the source.

The allegations were made in the fall, when the unidentified officer was still serving as station chief. In October, soon after the allegations were made, the man returned to the United States for a previously scheduled trip and was ordered not to return to his post, the source said.

A senior U.S. official confirmed that the case is under investigation but refused to comment on the details.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood issued a brief statement in response to a CNN inquiry, saying that "the individual in question has returned to Washington and the U.S. government is looking into the matter," and referring reporters to the Justice Department.

The women, who are Algerian citizens, brought their allegations to a U.S. government official, and federal authorities then launched an investigation.

A search of the station chief's residence in Algeria was approved by a U.S. District Court judge after a request from the Justice Department. The search found pills believed to be of a type commonly used in date rape, the source said.

In that search, authorities also found about a dozen tapes that are thought to show the officer engaged in sexual acts, the source said, including some in which women are believed to be in a semiconscious state. CNN's source had not seen the tapes but had been briefed on their content. Some of the tapes include date stamps indicating that the recordings happened when he would have been serving in Cairo, Egypt, before his tenure in Algeria.

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The investigation includes his time in both posts as well as other locations where he traveled.

The identity of the officer could not be learned, and CNN was unable to reach a representative of the officer. It is against the law to reveal identities of covert officers.

When the allegations surfaced in the fall, they were viewed as "tremendously explosive, no doubt about that," the source said, especially because Algeria is a Muslim country.

The Justice Department and the CIA would not comment on the allegations or any investigation.

"I can assure you that the agency would take seriously and follow up any allegations of impropriety," CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield said.

The officer has not been charged, the source said. The source would not speak for attribution because the investigation is ongoing and the source was not authorized to speak publicly.

One federal law enforcement source said that no developments or activities relating to the case are "imminent."

A station chief heads the CIA's office in a foreign country, establishing a relationship with its host intelligence service and overseeing agency activities in the country.

You just have to wonder: if this is any indication of the CIA station chief's judgment, I wonder how the renditioned prisoners in Algeria's CIA black site fared? You think they were tortured? Uh yeah...

 

[DealMonkey]

Linkage

 

[Farang]

The only disappointing thing here is the screening process that put him in the post, but there is no evidence to prove or disprove that the mistake of allowing him the position wasn't an understandable one so I have to hear more facts. Otherwise I am impressed, two Algerian women make an allegation of rape against a high ranking CIA official and federal authorities almost immediately begin an investigation and remove him from his post. If you had asked me before reading this what I think would happen in this scenario, I would have said that federal officials tell the Algerians to pound sand and destroy the evidence.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: Farang
The only disappointing thing here is the screening process that put him in the post, but there is no evidence to prove or disprove that the mistake of allowing him the position wasn't an understandable one so I have to hear more facts.

There is piles of evidence which shows our government systematically acts with callous disregard for the human rights of people less developed parts other world. Sure, the rapes are being called out as crossing the line, but the line has been blurred so much that it is easy to see how this CIA chief thought he could get away with what he did.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: Farang
The only disappointing thing here is the screening process that put him in the post, but there is no evidence to prove or disprove that the mistake of allowing him the position wasn't an understandable one so I have to hear more facts.

There is piles of evidence which shows our government systematically acts with callous disregard for the human rights of people less developed parts other world. Sure, the rapes are being called out as crossing the line, but the line has been blurred so much that it is easy to see how this CIA chief thought he could get away with what he did.

This isn't an example of that evidence, and the second part of what you said is not based in facts but insinuation. You could be right, so too could be the guy who says George Bush is a lizard in a costume.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: Farang
The only disappointing thing here is the screening process that put him in the post, but there is no evidence to prove or disprove that the mistake of allowing him the position wasn't an understandable one so I have to hear more facts.

There is piles of evidence which shows our government systematically acts with callous disregard for the human rights of people less developed parts other world. Sure, the rapes are being called out as crossing the line, but the line has been blurred so much that it is easy to see how this CIA chief thought he could get away with what he did.

Do you honestly think so?

I've worked side by side with Intelligence officers from almost every nation in the world and i have nothing but utmost respect for the CIA from what i have seen.

There are plenty of other organisations that we used to threaten them with though, like the ISI and the EGID.

 

[cwjerome]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey
In case there was any doubt in your mind why you, as an American Citizen, should not trust your government nor the intel orgs that work for them to do the right thing.

Sounds like the government and intel orgs ARE doing the right thing.

Why would you impute sinister motives onto them for the actions of a lone, alleged rapist?

This thread says a lot about your psychology.

 

[palehorse]

Employees in Military and government organizations are not infallible. Passing judgment on an entire organization based on the alleged criminal actions of one member is fucking juvenile. To make matters worse, you then made a gigantic leap in logic -- or fantasy -- to include "torture" and "black sites" in your assessment.

Grow up.

This is ridiculous...

 

[dphantom]

Substitute the word teacher for CIA station chief and we now have a government employee raping children.
Ok fine, it is wrong and if he is guilty he will be convicted and punished appropriately. But to make a blanket indictment that one person's criminal act is a reflection of the entire organization is ridiculous. But then again, look at the OP and take it for what its worth - nothing.

 

[DealMonkey]

Okay, you're right, I took it too far. And yet for an organization shrouded in secrecy, we sure get to hear some shitty stuff being done by their employees on a regular basis.

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey
Okay, you're right, I took it too far. And yet for an organization shrouded in secrecy, we sure get to hear some shitty stuff being done by their employees on a regular basis.

Yeah, I distrust government and believe the worst but hope for the best.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey
Okay, you're right, I took it too far. And yet for an organization shrouded in secrecy, we sure get to hear some shitty stuff being done by their employees on a regular basis.

think that's scary what about all the shit you DON'T hear about.

truth is there are fuckbags all over the place...from gangs in the military to assholes like this in the CIA....don't assume law enforcement, the military for some fancy government entity referred to by its initials is any more shielded from the bad apples than the rest of humanity.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: Farang
The only disappointing thing here is the screening process that put him in the post, but there is no evidence to prove or disprove that the mistake of allowing him the position wasn't an understandable one so I have to hear more facts.

There is piles of evidence which shows our government systematically acts with callous disregard for the human rights of people less developed parts other world. Sure, the rapes are being called out as crossing the line, but the line has been blurred so much that it is easy to see how this CIA chief thought he could get away with what he did.

This isn't an example of that evidence...

I didn't say it was.

 

[DealMonkey]

Interestingly, the search warrant affidavit to search the senior CIA officer's computer has been made available in it's entirety (only his name has been redacted):

CIA Station Chief's Computer Searched Following Rape Allegations

A senior CIA officer who headed the agency's Algeria station last year is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting at least two Muslim women a

fter incapacitating them with a date-rape drug, ABC News reports.
The 41-year-old spy was recalled home in October after the victims stepped forward, but the case threatens to further damage the United States' reputation in the Muslim world. According to ABC, covert videotapes recovered from his residence in Algiers showed the official engaging in sex acts, with at least one woman appearing to be in a "semiconscious state."

According to court records, the search also turned up "apple martini mix, multiple data storage devices, including multiple computer hard drives, memory cards, Valium and Xanax and a handbook on the investigation of sexual assaults." When the official returned to Washington, D.C., State Department investigators also found photos of the victims on his digital camera and cellphone. They then seized his computer for a forensic search.
Threat Level found the search warrant affidavit for the computer analysis, which describes the suspect as "employed by the United States Government and assigned to the United States Embassy in Algiers, Algeria." Because the official hasn't been formally charged, we've redacted the suspect's name, though it will surely appear elsewhere.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/01/cia.html

The full text of the affidavit appears following the above text...

 

[kylebisme]

About the Special Agent heading the investigation:

My educational experience includes a ... Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Kansas...

Go Hawks!