Rendition Circuit: July 2004
Rendition of Janat Gul, Afghanistan to Romania (via Jordan)
On 31 July 2004, a Gulfstream III jet with registration number N288KA transferred Janat Gul from Afghanistan, where he had been held in an undisclosed location since his capture the month before, to the secret CIA prison in Bucharest, Romania. The flight was arranged through the CIA's prime contractor in the outsourcing of rendition flights, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), which then further contracted Sportsflight Air and Capital Aviation to secure a suitable aircraft for the circuit. The aircraft chosen, N288KA, was operated by a further company, Kookabura Air.
Analysis
N288KA left Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) in the evening of 29 July 2004, flying to Glasgow Prestwick airport (EGPK) where it stopped for refuelling. After a stop of less than an hour, the aircraft took off again, flying to Paphos, Cyprus (LCPH), landing in the morning of 30 July. It stayed on the ground in Cyprus for nearly 24 hours, leaving early morning of 31 July and flying direct to Kabul, Afghanistan (OAKB). Once in Kabul, Janat Gul was loaded onboard the aircraft, and it left again within 90 minutes, flying first to Amman, Jordan (OJAM), where it landed in the late afternoon. The aircraft stayed in Amman for over two hours, with Janat Gul almost certainly to have been kept on the aircraft as it refuelled. It then took off again, flying direct to Bucharest, Romania (LRBS), landing in the evening of 31 July, and off-loading the detainee.
After 90 minutes in Bucharest, the aircraft flew to Prague (LKPR), where it stayed for the day on 1 August, likely for the renditions crew to get some 'rest and relaxation'. It was then back to Washington via Gander International Airport, Canada (CYQX), landing in the early hours of 2 August 2004.
Overall, contracting information held by The Rendition Project and Reprieve demonstrates that CSC provided nearly $250,000 for this rendition, which included nearly $190,000 for the hiring of the jet and $60,000 for 'mission specific costs'.
