US 'hid torture from MI5'

Baroness Manningham-Buller made the comments at the House of Lords following controversy surrounding British agents' part in employing torture.

But she said it was only after she retired from the security service in 2007 that she learnt that terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had been waterboarded.

Ms Manningham-Buller claimed the US had been "very keen to conceal from us what was happening."

Fears were raised last month that British agents colluded with the US in using illegal torture methods after the disclosure of "cruel, inhuman and degrading" treatment of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident formerly held at Guantanamo Bay.

Ms Manningham-Buller added the government had lodged "protests" with the US about its treatment of detainees and went on to say that allegations of complicity in torture could disrupt MI5's work.

But human rights activists took Ms Manningham-Buller's comments with a pinch of salt.

Amnesty International campaigns director Tim Hancock described it as "extremely surprising" that she only learnt of torture after she left her post.

"Numerous allegations of US mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo and at Bagram were emerging almost from the beginning of the 'war on terror'," he said.

"Did MI5 learn nothing of this even when members of the security service themselves 'interviewed' nine British nationals at Guantanamo in 2003?

"We also know from Mr Mohamed's case that the security service was being told by US officials that he was being kept shackled, deprived of sleep and threatened with being 'disappeared' by his US interrogators."

He called for an independent inquiry into all aspects of Britain's alleged involvement in human rights abuses.

Reprieve spokeswoman Katherine O'Shea described the comments by the former MI5 boss as "profoundly worrying."

She said: "According to the intelligence and security committee, the security services became aware that the US was using torture in CIA interrogations in secret facilities by 2003.

"We know from the courts that they knew about the torture of Mr Mohamed as early as May 2002.

"Was MI5 therefore keeping their boss in the dark?"